


Change Hurts

by jimblejamblewrite



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: A/B/O, F/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-16 11:21:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 33,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28581174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jimblejamblewrite/pseuds/jimblejamblewrite
Summary: Charlotte has always been one of the stronger Alphas. Which is saying something when the Avengers is a team overrun with Alphas. A mission gone wrong changes her entire world and when everyone starts treating her different, she doesn’t know if she can cope. Change hurts and Charlotte’s not sure it’s a pain she can't bear.
Relationships: Bruce Banner/Natasha Romanov, James "Bucky" Barnes/Natasha Romanov, Steve Rogers/Original Female Character(s), Wanda Maximoff/Vision
Kudos: 19





	1. Chapter 1

“Tony, stand down!” 

Charlotte's voice rose past its normal speaking tone, verging on the authoritative Alpha command. The young Beta, Peter, clung to the back of her shirt after she yelled. 

“Lot, he—”

“No, Tony! You brought the kid in to fight on your side at the airport. You don’t get to turn your back on him now. He just wants to help.” 

“Peter is in over his head.” 

“You should have thought of that. The Beta is yours so step up like an Alpha.” 

Charlotte and him were engaged in a stare-off, both slightly growling and neither moving. Tony relented first like Charlotte knew he would. At the end of the day, he had respect for the woman. One of the few female Alphas that chose to fight and work in SHIELD. Most female Alphas took the chance to live the most lavish and relaxed lifestyles they could, their nature affording them that luxury. Especially since the patriarchy throughout history had tried to deny them their Alpha nature because the past saw more female Omegas and Betas until more modern times. 

But not Charlotte, Nat, or Sharon. It was that respect for choosing the hard, macho life that made Tony and Steve eventually sit down and work out their differences with the Accords— everyone came back to live in the compound only a few months later. Tony snorted but finally lowered the Iron Man suit to stand on the ground with Charlotte and Peter.

“You know having a pack isn’t my style.”

“That’s a lie, what do you call the Avengers?”

“A team with more Alphas than it knows what to do with. None of us are the leader of that pack.”

“Then what about Happy?”

“Happy is my bodygu—”

“A bodyguard you stopped paying three years ago yet he still manages to afford everything and lives with us? You already have one member, take another damn Beta and get it over with.”

“Why don’t you take him?”

“I didn’t recruit him to a dangerous life in the first place. Peter’s on the team, he’s an Avenger, and he’s your responsibility.” 

Tony closed his mouth, knowing he would never win the argument, and nodded. Peter’s grip on the older woman's shirt relaxed and he finally moved to be beside Charlotte instead of behind her. She gave the awkward boy a smile and pat on the head. He just wanted to help and whether Tony liked it or not, Peter was a superhero not some helpless high schooler. Charlotte put a hand on Tony’s shoulder. 

“And if he threatens to take away your suit again, Peter, just let this Alpha know. I’ll set him straight.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it, kid. Now, go drop him off at home Tony so he can finish his homework. And inform Aunt May of a few changes.” 

She looked at Peter behind her. “You want her to live in the tower too? You two can take my duplex level, I’ll move into one of the smaller suites.” 

Peter shook his head. He rather keep Aunt May as far away from the physical fighting as he could. She might have been an Alpha but after his Uncle Ben had died, she had always been a little off. He just wanted her safe in their little apartment while he took down the bad guys. Diffusing any tension that might have still been there, Charlotte gave Tony and Peter hugs before jumping into the car to race back to the tower— Tony finally renamed it from Stark Tower to Avengers Tower after several months of persuading. 

The team gagged when Charlotte walked in and she gave them a look of confusion. T’Challa and Okoye, both Alphas, just chuckled and patted the woman's shoulder as they left the compound having only come to discuss a mission before heading back to Wakanda. Sam— the Beta with an Alpha mouth— decided to speak up. 

“Tony? Really, you hooked up with Tony? Thought that was the only line you wouldn’t cross.”

If it was any other person, Beta or Omega dynamic, that spoke to Charlotte or other Alpha team members like that they would face death stares. But Sam was Sam. And his words were never a challenge but always jokes and quick jabs— he was never invested in challenging an Alpha to try and become a pseudo one by force. 

“Take another sniff geniuses.” 

Charlotte walked further into the room with arms purposefully open wide. The team grimaced but did as she said. Everyone could smell the hint of Peter that had been hidden underneath. If Peter was there, it wasn’t possible in any way that Charlotte and Tony would be hooking up at the moment. 

“You really thought I’d sleep with Tony?” 

She propped her feet up on Bucky’s lap. The stoic Alpha pushed her feet off of him as Natasha snarled. Without missing a beat, Charlotte propped her feet up on Bruce— the Omega scientist taking a lunch break before going back to the lab— earning a second snarl. 

“Relax, Nat, you’re so uptight today. I don’t want your men. Would’ve taken Brucey a while ago if I did.” 

Charlotte leaned back to lay her head in Bucky’s lap. “But… we can still have a go, Buck.”

She chuckled, not getting a laugh back but instead the sound of Natasha’s fist slamming the table. Steve walked away from where he and Sam were cooking for everyone and tapped Bruce on the shoulder. The scientist sighed in relief as he took the seat closest to Nat and Steve replaced him. 

“Stop threatening her,” he said as he put Charlotte's feet back to rest on his lap. 

“Threatening? I’m just messing wi—” 

The woman stopped as the smell finally hit. She turned her head, earning a third snarl as her face was too close to Bucky’s stomach and crotch for Nat’s comfort. His scent was more musky than usual, and then Nat and Bruce’s smells hit Charlotte. They were about to be in their ruts and heat, respectively. She immediately sat up from Bucky’s lap with her hands up in surrender. 

“I swear the only stink I could smell was Stark and Peter. I was joking, not a real threat. Buck and Bruce are all yours.” 

Everyone relaxed. Nat and Bucky muttered a quiet sorry for assuming their teammate, and friend, was declaring a real threat to separate them, blaming it on the upcoming ruts having them on edge. Everyone knew Charlotte would never take Bruce from them or try to separate Bucky and Nat. But even rational Alphas like them found it hard to take her jokes when ruts were involved. Steve pulled her fully into his lap so Sam could have a seat at the table— some of the chairs were still missing from Tony’s last party, probably on the deck. Charlotte gave him a snarl, more playful than anything, to which he just rolled his eyes. 

“Can’t just manhandle me like that. I’m not one your little weak Omegas, Captain.” 

Steve huffed out a laugh. “Thank God for that. You’d be one goddamn stubborn one.” 

“She’d be getting punished every other damn day,” Bucky finally teased and everyone laughed.

The rest of dinner was rather calm. The team actually enjoyed Charlotte's jokes after it was verbally put out that everything was just a joke, she was just her usual obnoxious Alpha self. It was nice to have Clint home for the weekend, he was usually at the farm with Laura especially since their third child was born. It would have been nice to have Thor as well but Asgard requested him home for something so they only had Clint. 

Wanda was enjoying messing with him. When it came to Wanda, and Pietro when he was alive, Clint was such a weak Alpha. They were his adopted kids for all intents and purposes and found themselves in his pack with no difficulty— well one. Vision struggled to accept Wanda being his Omega but also in Clint’s mini pack even if it was purely familial. He almost commanded Wanda to leave the pack but was soon talked to and brought to an understanding. 

The elevator doors dinged and instead of being greeted by Tony and potentially Peter, a smell Charlotte didn’t like rolled out. It wasn’t hard to miss the lavender, ocean breeze, and cranberry scent of Sharon Carter. Not many people that weren’t officially on the Avengers had access to the residential floors of the tower, but Sharon was one of the few since she was a high level SHIELD agent. Sharon had files in her hand, assumed for the next mission that was due any minute now. She stopped dead in her tracks, growling viciously at the sight before her. It wasn’t hard to miss that she was in a rut like Nat and Bucky and Charlotte was currently sitting on what was deemed her property. 

Steve and Sharon weren’t together, they didn’t make a claim on each other like Bucky and Nat. Steve didn’t feel drawn to other Alphas in a bonding way— only seeing them as there for a good time. And he wasn’t like Nat or Bucky, it wasn’t in his specific nature to hold an Alpha and an Omega. But he hadn’t found an Omega he was willing to bond to by pure choice or felt inclined to bond with on instinct alone. So he slept around to solve his ruts, switching between Alphas, Betas, and Omegas. Usually going to Sharon if he was choosing an Alpha. And she did the same with him. Sharon glared and Charlotte had half a mind to wiggle around on Steve’s lap just to mess with her. 

As if he could read her mind and knew what she was about to do, Steve gripped her upper arm tightly to stop her. Just like with Tony, the two of them were in a stare-off with gentle snarls at each other. If Sharon wasn’t right there, Sam would have joked that they should get a room. But no one was joking, only watching the tense scene in front of them. Tony submitted to Charlotte, Nat tended to submit to her, Clint and Thor submitted to her. Hell even Bucky and Vision. But not Steve. Ever the Captain, he was the most dominant Alpha on the whole team— not using Alpha command very often and rejecting becoming leader of a pack, instead choosing to just be the best captain he could be of a team. And not once did he lose a stare-off to her. 

“Stand down, Charlie.”

“Make me,” she said with a smirk. 

Any other moment, Steve would have laughed or snarled more but with his eyes playful. Not now though because Charlotte wasn't toying with him. She might have been staring at him but her words were purely to set off Sharon and right at the moment, during her rut, it wasn’t funny to him. He preferred if the team was a family or at least cordial with each other. Steve’s grip on Charlotte's arm loosened as he growled, no longer settling on quiet snarls. She relented and jumped off of him with a quickness. 

“Do you want me now?” Steve asked Sharon. 

The blonde nodded and he stood up to follow her. He took the files from her hand and shoved them towards Charlotte, knowing she was as thorough as he was with reading them and informing the team. Steve’s hand found Sharon’s waist. It slowly snaked down to her butt as they walked off. 

“We’ll be back later,” he said as they entered the elevator, not really caring if you guys had heard. 

The tension settled as the elevator went up to his suite. Charlotte sat back down and began to flip through the files, sipping the beer Steve left. 

“You’re going to get your ass beat one day,” Clint said with a shake of his head and a smile. 

“Sharon could learn to back off of Lot a little,” Wanda said, feeling free to speak without the other Alpha in the room. 

“I agree,” Nat sat back in her chair. “She’s had it out for you for no damn reason. Just mad you made the team and not her. I love her but she’s got to get over it, you were the better one.” 

“Probably mad about that time Steve helped you out too,” Sam chimed in and Charlotte choked on the beer. 

“I’m sorry who helped me with what?” 

“Steve. Was a while ago, right before Germany, remember?” 

She shook her head. The only thing Charlotte remembered about Germany, aside from the fight, was her, Sam, and Bucky averting their eyes when the two blond Alphas felt the need to have one last go in the parking lot and had their hands down each others’ pants in front of the car. 

“Well I remember damn well, she came storming in talking about you could mess with anyone in SHIELD but picked the one teammate no one touched.” 

“I’ve never asked Steve to help me with a rut.” Charlotte set the beer down and the whole team looked in surprise. 

“Really?” Bruce asked. “Right after she stormed in, you came out a few minutes later in his shirt and he wasn’t wearing another one.” 

She tried to recollect an inkling of a memory of what they might be talking about. She started to laugh, making the others more confused. 

“Our mini mission. My fault, totally missed the drop off and got myself stabbed. Steve was giving me stitches.”

“Oh.” 

She took a swig of the beer, finishing it. “I’ve never gone to Steve for help or anyone for that matter.” 

“You haven’t?” Sam prodded, knowing he’s heard noises from her room a few times before. 

Charlotte fished the little pill bottle refill out of her pocket— the reason she had been out and able to respond to Peter’s frantic call about Tony forcing him to quit earlier that day. With a quick toss, she threw them across to Vision who caught it with no problem. He read off the little label stating the dosage and instructions of the suppressants. 

“You use those?” Nat asked. 

“Unclaimed Alpha, not taking a chance going into a real rut and riling up some Beta or Omega while I’m sleeping with them. Don’t need kids right now.” 

“Women?” 

“Sometimes just don’t work for me in a rut.”

“Just sleep with an Alpha then,” Bucky suggested. “Not like you can’t feel that one coming and stop it before it’s too late.” 

“Two headasses in the bedroom,” Charlotte said with a shrug. 

Everyone nodded and chuckled in agreement. At least Charlotte knew herself. She was as stubborn as they came when it dealt with dynamics and being an Alpha. She had her fair share of fun with a few of them but never in a rut. Even with suppressants, she was too headstrong to want to deal with another Alpha’s rut in the bedroom. 

Vision tossed the pill bottle back to and Charlotte stashed it back in her pocket. Done with talking about her sex life, she picked up the files Steve had given them before he and Sharon left. The team became alert as she did a casual debriefing and began to organize the mission. 

“FRIDAY!” The Alpha called out while everyone read the papers handed out. 

“Yes, Charlotte?” 

“When Tony gets back, tell him I need a new bo staff before the mission. The other burnt to a crisp.” 

“Of course, Charlotte. Mr. Stark has been working on that problem for you.” 

It was the fourth bo staff in a month that she had gone through. The collapsible staff was her main weapon because of her powers. Charlotte had heating abilities but had not learned to fully master them. The most she could do was heat up herself, not able to shoot the laser like heat from her body. However it was enough that just like normal heat, whatever Charlotte was touching would eventually conduct that heat. To keep herself at a safer distance rather than hand to hand combat, she used a bo staff and heated up like a makeshift lightsaber— giving enemies third degree burns. 

“Thank you, FRIDAY.” 

The AI said something but it was missed as the alarm on Charlotte's phone rang, reminding her there was only one hour left she had to take the suppressant for the day before it was considered a missed day. The team, who had been staring at the new mission notes, looked up at the sound. They all watched the woman pop open the pill bottle and toss a pill in her mouth. Her face scrunched up in disgust as she bit down on the pill and chewed it until it was dust. 

A second alarm rang. Her rut, much to her gratefulness, had a pretty routine schedule. It rarely varied. Charlotte stood up, taking Steve’s jacket from the back of the chair. She walked backwards to the elevators, facing the team as she talked and shrugged on the big leather jacket. 

“Duty calls, rut’s about to start. If you need me. I’ll be at that one bar downtown and then some little Omega’s bed. Do me a favor… try not to need me till at least two am, mmm no scratch that, four am.” 

The doors closed with various snorts and guffaws from her teammates. Charlotte's nose upturned now that she was by herself, the scent of Sharon and Steve overwhelming. She leaned her head down and sniffed the jacket. It smelled too strongly of him— would be hard to get someone at the bar. The doors opened and Charlotte entered the lobby, taking off the jacket.

“Roseanne?” she called the Beta receptionist who was almost always working night shifts. 

Her head popped up from where it was hunched over the keyboard. Charlotte tossed her the jacket. Without missing a beat, she reached down and grabbed a different jacket— black leather instead of brown but the same size and style as the one she was just given. Roseanne threw the jacket to Charlotte. 

“Captain Rogers is going to wonder where these are eventually,” she said with what couldn’t be determined as worriedness for the Alpha in front of her or nervousness just because. 

Charlotte laughed and fixed the jacket collar. 

“He knows these are my favorite to steal, needs to learn to stop stinking them so much and I’ll stop hiding them from him. Catch you later. Don’t work too hard, you should have fun.” 

“Is that a command?” 

“Don’t test me, Beta,” she said with a growl. 

Roseanne laughed, knowing the threat was of pure jest— the two were friends after all. Charlotte gave her one last smile before heading out for the night, ready to catch an Omega to make her feel better.


	2. Chapter 2

“That mine?” 

Charlotte jumped at the sound of Steve’s voice making him smirk at the fact he actually startled her. The entrance to the duplex suite Charlotte had was on the floor with Steve and Sam’s rooms. It was late enough when she came back, almost all the lights in the tower were off, that she thought no one would be up. He had only been up to grab some water. A huff sounded from behind Steve and Charlotte rolled her eyes. Sharon was clearly still there and not pleased at the sudden scent that invaded past the open doorway and into his room. 

She got up and stood behind him, wrapped in just a sheet. Charlotte was on suppressants and had just come from satisfying her rut with a very nice Omega but the scent of what Steve and Sharon had been doing all night was beginning to start it up again. Some sweat beaded on her forehead. 

The two other Alphas watched the sweat with intensity and two separate emotions. Sharon felt her rut start up again filled with pure spite as her eyes narrowed at the other woman. Steve felt his come back but his eyes weren’t narrowed at all. Instead, fully dilated pupils followed the sweat down the side of Charlotte face and neck disappearing behind his leather jacket that didn’t smell right. He growled, sniffing the air again to see if he could identify the presentation of the mysterious stranger. 

“You let an Omega rub his scent all over my shit?” 

From behind him Sharon scoffed on his behalf. Charlotte crossed her arms, not appreciating the input. 

“Needed my little problem solved, found a willing body. Didn’t mean to get it on your jacket, Stevie, my bad,” she said, nonchalantly. 

“What did you do, let him fuck you in it?” 

That accusation caused the Alpha to growl. She stepped up to Steve, invading the barrier of the doorway. 

“Let’s get this clear I would never do that to you. I respect you too much as our team captain and another Alpha and my friend. I didn’t mean to let some nobody, especially a random Omega we don’t know try to mark your stuff. He probably took it when I wasn’t paying attention, make a little quick nest.” 

“I wa—”

Charlotte didn’t give him the chance to apologize. 

“It’s late, all three of us are still in rut. I’m calling it up to on edge nerves. Water under the bridge. I’ll let you two finish fucking. Your stink is trying to rile me up again, I’ll give the jacket back when the scent is gone. Don’t forget, we meet on the helipad at 10 for the mission.”

Steve grabbed an arm to stop her. Sharon immediately had a hand on his shoulder. He looked at his hand and then Charlotte's eyes. 

“I didn’t mean for the last part to come out like that, it was meant to be a joke. I know it was an accident. I respect you too.” 

“Ok, I still think we should rest. Rut still blew it out of proportions. Goodnight, Stevie. Sharon.” 

“Night, doll,” Steve said much to Sharon’s annoyance while she muttered a goodnight. 

Charlotte continued down the intended path to her room and up the stairs to the bed and bathroom area. Stripping off clothes, she stepped into the shower. Charlotte didn’t shower at the Omega’s place, not wanting him to get some idea that she was considering him as a claim by sticking around past the sex. Once she smelled only like her, Charlotte slipped on underwear and headed to bed. 

At the last minute, she reached for the jacket thrown at the edge of the bed. The quickest way to get rid of scents was to replace them instead of waiting for them to fade away. It was accident but Charlotte still felt bad and wanted to fix it for him. She shrugged on Steve’s jacket to replace the Omega’s scent with hers which she knew Steve could tolerate more. It wasn’t the best sleeping material but because of how worn it was, the leather was comfortable enough to wrap herself in and fall asleep. 

Late morning came and Charlotte stretched with a complaint to FRIDAY— the AI greeting her back as she turned on the lights in the room. The woman buried her nose in the leather jacket and took a deep inhale. It mainly smelled like her but there was still the linger of the guy from last night. It would take one or two more nights to get rid of. She shoved the jacket in between the clothes in her closet, hoping that would help since it couldn’t exactly be worn on a mission. 

Charlotte tugged at her suit and met everyone on the helipad where the quinjet was up and running, waiting for everyone. Tony handed her the new bo staff before walking into the jet and sitting at the driver’s seat. She threw it up in the air and caught it, the weight making her hand drop more than normal. Charlotte's palms glowed a bright red and slowly the staff did as well. The minute she stopped, the glowing did as well and the staff stayed intact. Knocking the staff against Steve’s shield that was sitting on a seat, the Alpha smiled hearing the sharp clanking noise. The staff was vibranium, it had to be. Hopefully it would be the end to her having to get a new weapon every other mission. 

The rest of the team piled in, Peter smiling at Charlotte and giving her a hug in thanks that he was on the mission. The team chuckled, he was like a little brother to her. Clint once tried to say Peter was Charlotte's child but was swiftly met with a boot to the chest as she told him not to accidentally curse her with kids before the woman was ready or wanted them. The jet ride was silent. Not uncommon when a mission came after most of the team had been in some form of rut or heat. No one liked to talk because they were tired and opted to take the little concentration they had to focus on the mission. 

They decided on teams for once they got deep inside the base and snuck into the old castle. Charlotte grumbled that if it wasn’t the enemy that killed them it would be the falling rocks from the ceiling of the dilapidated structure— the comment making the rest of the tired team smile. 

“One of you smells,” Steve and Bucky said at the same time. 

The entire team stopped and did a test. Charlotte shook her head. 

“This might be your supersoldier senses, no one else smells. Everyone took the shot before we left.” 

The shot was a masker engineered by Bruce and used by most intelligence agencies either using his formula or a replica once they learned they could make their own. It never lasted long and was carefully tracked but it masked scents from wafting too far past a person, making spies able to do their jobs properly. 

“One more check, to be safe,” Steve said. 

Everyone sniffed again. Peter stiffened beside them. 

“It’s not us,” he whispered. 

Bucky and Steve took over completely and worked to find how far the scent was from where they were actually standing. The supersoldiers returned with a new plan and new teams. Stepping up to the plate, Tony took Peter under his wing to head down the south hall. Charlotte was with Bruce, one slap to his bicep with a heated up hand and Hulk would activate no problem. Nat and Clint were paired up along with Vision and Wanda. Steve, Sam, and Bucky were the famed trio to no one’s surprise. 

This mission was worth going in standard teams they knew worked. With a final look at everyone, Steve nodded and they all split— turning on the comms and walking with a new alertness. The fighting sounded through Charlotte's ear piece. She and Bruce looked at each other, it was coming from Nat and Clint. They couldn’t get them an exact location in reference to where they were. Charlotte whisper-yelled for Sam in her comm. 

“Can Redwing get Bruce and I to you guys?” 

“On it, give me a minute… stairwell straight ahead and go to the right. We’re… three flights down.” 

Charlotte and Bruce started to book it. The team needed all the help they could get. Charlotte narrowly avoided getting hit by a guard that just got knocked out from Steve’s shield. Heating up a palm, she slapped Bruce and Hulk roared to life. Her staff got hotter and hotter until it was bright red. Men screamed as the staff burned them and Charlotte spun it with expertise. 

“You’ll never get it,” one man said. 

He was dressed differently than the others and they knew he was in charge. A beaker was in his hand. 

“You’re the only one still standing,” Nat said as she slowly inched to him. 

He held the glass with little regard and they couldn’t risk it spilling by ambushing him. 

“And this is the only formula successfully completed. I can tell when I have lost a battle… but a battle isn’t war. Think quickly.”

He threw the glass. Everyone watched in horror and screamed for someone to grab it. Charlotte was the closest and without thinking dove for the glass— hands still red hot from fighting. The beaker burst in her hands, cutting the skin and causing the substance to seep into the wounds. 

“Shit!” she yelled. 

“Bruce, get her back to the tower and into medical now. Tell Rhodey to send us a second jet,” Steve commanded. “Everyone else clean sweep the place, we need to find files or something.” 

Charlotte's hand started to burn before going numb. Bruce, no longer in Hulk form, rushed her back to the quinjet. Her whole body had started to go numb and Bruce worried it was going into shock. Dr. Cho was already waiting with a gurney to take her into the private wing reserved for the Avengers team. The last thing she remembered was Bruce saying everything was going to be okay before the anesthesia or poison, she wasn't sure which, took over and she went unconscious. 

* * *

**D** ry. Charlotte's throat felt very dry when she woke up. The coughing startled Bruce who had been sleeping in the chair next to her hospital bed. He rushed to grab a water and held the cup up to the woman's lips as she drank. He set the cup down and moved from the chair to sitting on the edge of her bed. 

“How are you?” 

“I feel like I got hit but a goddamn bus, Bruce.”

He chuckled. “At least that mouth of yours hasn’t lost any bite… Charlotte, there’s a problem.” 

“Yeah, I almost died.” 

“No, but you might wish you did.”

She raised an eyebrow. “What the hell do you mean?” 

“I want you to know, before I say anything, no one else knows but you and me. I was the only one that studied the compound of the substance. And aside from Dr. Cho, no one else worked on you. She only pulled out the glass and helped drain the wound.” 

Charlotte looked down at her left hand. It wasn’t damaged but she could see where there was a cyst that must have been drained. 

“And no one else has been allowed in here but me. You’ve been out for a week.” 

“A week?! Bruce what the hell?” 

“The substance they were working on was a changing component.” 

“Change how?” 

“Presentation. It’s meant to mutate presentation cells… you’re no longer an Alpha.”

Charlotte shook her head. “Brucey this isn’t funny.”

“I’m not joking. The cells were either destroyed or mutated into Omega cells.” 

“You’re lying! You’re fucking lying to me!” She screamed before Bruce slapped a hand over her mouth. 

“If you don’t shut up, someone’s going to barge through that door and smell it on you.” 

He tilted his head to the frosty glass windows. Charlotte could see outlines and shadows of the entire team on the other side. Three heads moved slightly and the woman stilled— obviously Peter, Steve, and Bucky could hear the movement. She looked Bruce in the eye and nodded slowly in indication that she wouldn’t shout. Bruce handed her the file and talked as she flipped through it. 

“I’ve destroyed all the files but one locked in my nesting stuff, not even Nat is allowed to touch that box. This isn’t on your medical record either. I’m going to lock this up with the file as well when you’re done reading it.” 

“What am I supposed to do?” 

Bruce poured another glass of water. 

“That’s why I destroyed everything. I know this can’t be easy but it’s still your decision, Lot. Alpha?” Bruce asked gently when she seemed to stare into space. 

Charlotte almost recoiled, the word seemed to scorn her as she looked at the file that said otherwise. 

“How long can I hide it?” 

“They’ll know the minute you change clothes. Roseanne gave me a jacket, said it would help… I lied, I told her. Three of us know.”

“It’s okay, I trust Rose.” 

Charlotte sniffed the jacket, it smelled strongly of Steve. Enough to mask whatever scent she might be giving off— the woman refused to sniff her own skin, afraid of the truth. But it didn’t take a smell for Charlotte to know that something had changed. She found herself melting into the jacket in attempts to bury herself in it. 

“The maskers,” Charlotte said with delight thinking of the pre-mission shots. 

“Are highly monitored by the system to stay within the intelligence community.” 

“Bruce, please. I can’t be this. My nature got changed by force. This new one is not mine.” 

“I can possibly fake the numbers.”

The woman shot over to give him a hug. Bruce set her back. 

“You’re on these for the rest of your life you know. Or at least until I can try to change you back. But if I can’t,” he faltered. 

“I understand.” 

“Okay, I’ll bring you the first batch of injections after dinner. Don’t shower before then and keep that jacket on you.” 

Charlotte nodded seriously and Bruce helped her out the bed. The woman was forever grateful to the good scientist. The team rushed her when she stepped out of the room and Charlotte froze up in fear. 

“Back off guys, she just woke up,” Bruce came to the rescue. 

They all suddenly apologized and gave her space. Charlotte secretively sniffed the air as the team talked about the bullshit lie Bruce told them about the serum that got her— she could only smell the jacket and hints of every other team member. She walked into the elevator and tapped a foot nervously as it slowly made its way up to the residential floors. She forced herself to stop tapping, not willing to give in to the nervousness of the Omega cells trying to take over. 

Dinner was a tense affair on Charlotte's part and she only breathed when Bruce finally knocked on her door to deliver the masker injections. He patted an extra box on top of the injections informing her that he had gotten himself a prescription for Omega suppressants for her to use. Charlotte couldn’t thank him enough. She showered and sat on the edge of the tub. 

Normally she was wild with the injections, everyone was. But now Charlotte wanted to make sure that it was perfect, that every drop entered her bloodstream. She pulled the band tight around her thigh, holding it taut between her teeth until the faintest semblance of a vein appeared. Carefully— and rather painfully because of the slow speed— Charlotte sunk the syringe into her thigh and pushed the top of it until all of the injection was gone. 

She took a tentative sniff. Nothing. Opening the box, she ripped one of the pills from the package and chewed it harshly. Charlotte grabbed underwear, ready to slip into bed when she thought about pajamas. If she had put on more clothes that smelled like her— Alpha her— then maybe it would help. Instead of grabbing fresh clothes, she reached into the laundry basket to pull out pajamas. They absolutely reeked of her scent and Charlotte smiled. It would probably mean she could never wash the clothes again but as long as she didn’t spill something on it, she would be fine, she hoped. 

It was hard to fall asleep at first. Charlotte tossed and turned in attempts to figure out why, eventually sitting up straight. The second laundry basket stared at her. It smelled like all her teammates and too many pieces were invading her personal space. It was uncomfortable. Grabbing the basket, the woman tossed any other stray pieces from the other team members into the basket and headed out on a mission to return their stuff. 

Thor and Clint weren’t there so Charlotte left the piles at the door. Tony and Pepper didn’t even question the return. Wanda was just grateful to have her sweater back and Charlotte laughed when she got mad that it had some of the former Alpha's smell on it. She jokingly glared before digging out Vision’s stuff and giving her friend a hug goodnight. Bruce answered the door to his suite and with an understanding face took his, Nat, and Bucky’s stuff from Charlotte without a word. She returned to her floor to give the last bit of clothes. Sam didn’t complain that his shirts smelled a bit like her and threw the clothes behind him without a care. He was telling her funny stories about the week she missed making Charlotte laugh. The next door swung open and Steve walked over. 

“Heard you were giving back our stuff,” he said with a chuckle. “Can I get that one shirt back? You’ve had for like two weeks.” 

“Your too tight shirts? I’m doing you a favor.” 

Sam snorted at her retort and Steve rolled his eyes as he reached into the basket and started grabbing his clothes. His pile and Sam’s pile were significantly bigger than the others. Charlotte couldn’t help but growl when his hand went to touch the large silk scarf. The growl was Alpha but the reason behind it was pure Omega which only made the growl harsher from her frustration at that. 

“What? It’s mine.” 

“You don’t even wear it.” 

“Tony makes me wear it sometimes at those events.” 

“I use it to tie my hair at night.” 

Charlotte ripped the scarf back from Steve’s hand and dropped it in the basket. He looked down in some surprise at the fury with which she grabbed it. His fingers reached for other pieces and her eyes watched his movements like a hawk. Anytime the woman growled, Steve’s fingers would drop the fabric and just grab something else. He grabbed his leather jacket. Charlotte growled, expecting him to drop it. Steve only gripped it tighter. 

“No, I’m not letting you have this one.” 

The snarling started and it was another stare-off— only Steve meant it in jest and Charlotte was being serious with him for once. 

“Stand down,” he said. 

“No.”

“It’s my jacket.”

“I wear it better.”

“I don’t usually do this but Stand. Down.”

Steve used the Alpha command and Charlotte's eyes tore from his gaze. He thought it was because he won, Charlotte knew it was because she was smothering a whimper and hoping it died before it escaped her lips. Sam cleared his throat. 

“If you two are gonna bang, not outside my door please.” 

That snapped them both out of it. Steve added his jacket to the pile in his arms and Charlotte bit back a whine. Steve shook his head. 

“Thought the rut was over,” he said like it meant nothing.

Steve’s nose upturned. His eyes moved slightly past Sam’s door, not able to actually see inside. 

“You got an Omega in there?” 

Charlotte tensed. 

“Yeah,” Sam said as he pulled the door closed. 

Steve shrugged. “It’s normally that secretary isn’t it? Smells different.”

“Not bonded to any one, Cap. Can take a different partner if I want.” 

Steve agreed and adjusted the pile in his arms. He gave the two of them smiles and retreated back to his room, content that most of his clothes were returned to him. Before Charlotte could take a step, Sam grabbed the scarf from the laundry basket. She turned to him. He held it delicately in his hands. 

“Tell me why the fuck I just lied for you before I mark this all over with my scent.” 

Charlotte growled and made a move but the basket blocked her from reaching fully. Sam gripped it tighter and held it close to his face. 

“Stop.” 

It came out a whine instead of a command. 

“You can’t tell anyone. I’m serious, Sam. Swear it to me.” 

“On my life.” 

The scarf dropped from his hands and back into the basket as she finished the story. He sniffed the air aggressively. 

“That stupid stare-off is making the masker ineffective.”

“I wasn’t expecting Steve to use a command. I can’t use another injection until morning, Bruce and I have it carefully planned out. There are no extras.” 

“Be careful, Lot. And stay in your room until morning before you start to smell up the place.” 

The woman nodded and headed off before Same called her name. 

“This doesn’t change anything,” he said. “I don’t see you as any lesser. Understood, Alpha?” 

Charlotte wiped at her eyes, feeling tears already start. 

“Thanks, Sam. But it’s just you. We know what would happen.” 

He swallowed with a nod and Charlotte retreated back to her room. Steve’s scarf smelled sickly sweet as she tied up her hair with it. The room was clear of everyone else’s smells. Only hers, Steve’s, and the two things from Sam that he let her keep to try and calm her down filled the room. It was better that way. Charlotte drifted off to sleep with a very tired command to FRIDAY to lock the door and bar all entrance until she woke up in the morning.


	3. Chapter 3

Charlotte dragged herself out of bed early in the morning like she had been doing for the past couple of weeks and trudged to the bathroom. My _new normal,_ she thought as she pulled the band tight through her teeth and stabbed the syringe into her thigh. Chewing the Omega suppressant, Charlotte quickly showered and made her way into the gym for training. 

The black sports bra was still slightly damp. She had taken to handwashing all of her clothes, the scent not quite disappearing if it was hand washed rather than machine-washed. She couldn’t go on any longer without washing her training clothes but needed the smell to stay on. Bruce was working late in the nights when everyone left the lab to try and reverse the serum but so far nothing was coming back indicating a breakthrough. 

Charlotte avoided sparring when she could and opted for the bots— not always successful. Sam was usually her partner because it made everything easier. But there were other times it had to be someone else and she just prayed no one would smell a thing. Like now with Nat. She knocked Charlotte flat on her ass and the other woman grumbled as she stretched out a hand to help her up. 

“Pretty soon I’ll be the one with the winning streak,” she said with a smirk. 

“Shut up, you got lucky.” Charlotte snapped. 

Nat held her hands up in surrender before placing them on her hips. 

“What has you so worked up? So damn irritable. Those suppressants are messing with you, I swear.” 

“Must have taken two pills by accident this morning, wasn’t paying attention.” 

“You’re always so on top of it. Had to have been a rough start to make you that forgetful.” 

“Yeah, rough start,” she muttered. 

Charlotte rubbed at her side and headed into the locker room. The rest of the team followed behind to grab their equipment and head back upstairs for showers and a break. Sam stopped Charlotte in the locker room after everyone else walked out. 

“You’ve got to start taking both shots in the morning,” he whispered. 

The injections were administered in two doses. She took one when she woke up and one in the evening to spread it out, finding that taking both at the same time didn’t make her feel so hot. Some people could handle the double dosage, Charlotte couldn’t. 

“The team’s starting to wonder why you’re always disappearing during dinner and come back a few minutes later,” he explained. 

“I have to pee.”

“They’re not really buying that excuse from Bruce and I anymore.”

Charlotte chewed on her bottom lip. It wasn’t the easiest to take both in the morning but if everyone was getting suspicious then maybe it was for the better to do so. She decided it was ultimately for the best. Starting tomorrow, she would get up a little earlier and take both shots and use the extra morning time to try and recover before heading to training. 

When Charlotte entered her room, she frowned at the sight and smell of people on her couch. 

“FRIDAY, what did I say about just letting people into my room?” 

“They insisted it was urgent, Charlotte.” 

She huffed and walked over to where Sharon, Maria, Bucky, and Steve were sitting on the couch. The scowl on her face let them know to be quick. Maria unlocked the tablet and handed it to her. 

“SHIELD wants a small group for this one. Sam’s going to be taking the West Coast so I’m the replacement.” 

“Nat?” Charlotte asked. 

Sharon rolled her eyes. “Going with Sam since she knows the men. I’m her replacement so deal with it.” 

Instead of growling, to everyone’s shock, Charlotte just let it go and locked the tablet. Maria took the tablet back from her. 

“Ok, I’m briefed. We leave in three days, understood. Now get the hell out of my space.” 

It came out as a snarl and they were on their feet. No matter what her cells might suddenly say, Charlotte had spent her whole damn life as an Alpha and that didn’t miraculously change. It especially didn’t change when everyone still thought she was an Alpha. The four in front of her opened their mouths and then closed them. 

“You good, Lot?” Bucky asked. 

“Yeah,” she said tense. “I was just trying to relax after training and I’m not getting that right now.” 

“Right, sorry.” 

They started to pile out. It wasn’t that she wanted to relax. Charlotte wanted them out of her space because the smell was too much, especially with Bucky and Maria being the only claimed ones in the room. She glared at the couch that was now covered in them. How long had they been waiting in the room? Steve stopped when he saw her rub her temples. His hand on her shoulder made Charlotte calm immediately before tensing up at the fact she simply melted under his touch. 

“Maybe you should go to the masseuses downstairs. Have professional help instead of whatever you do.” 

“I’m fine, Steve. Just need a bath and a nap.” 

He gave a nod and left with the others. Charlotte took in a deep breath once he was gone. Warming up her hands, she touched the pillows and watched them burn up in her clutches. Every pillow except for the one Steve had been holding was burnt off of the couch. The alarm rang and she sighed. Even with the suppressants, Charlotte wasn't sure how bad a heat would be. Bruce tried to walk her through it but said that it was only understandable once she went through it physically. The only thing she knew was that a rut was not nearly as bad and she would give anything to have one instead. 

The bath wasn’t warm but freezing cold. She felt hot— not as sweaty as most Omegas but definitely slightly overheating. If she had to she could easily get up and still handle some daily tasks. But Charlotte couldn’t deny the warmth in her lower abdomen was something she rather have gotten rid of through natural means. She tilted her head back and enjoyed the rest of the bath, mentally preparing herself for the nightly shot she would have to take once she got out. 

The team questioned the missing seat of their team member. Bruce and Sam tried to distract but no one paid attention. Sam was the first to come up with a bullshit excuse that Charlotte went to find a hookup and was either coming home late or not at all. Nat asked FRIDAY so she could figure out if they needed to set anything aside for Charlotte to eat later. 

“There’s no need to call her. Miss King is in her room.” 

“I’ll get her,” Steve stood up. “Probably just forgot after hooking up.” 

Wanda laughed. “Have we met many presentations that made Lot forget to want to have dinner after sex?” 

The elevator doors closed before Sam and Bruce could do anything about it. Steve knocked and Charlotte didn’t reply. He figured he could just walk in when FRIDAY informed him that the door wasn’t locked. Charlotte was sitting on the edge of the tub and pulled the band. She stabbed the syringe into the vial of serum to suck it up before sticking the needle into her thigh. 

“Charlie?” Steve called into the duplex. 

The suddenness of his voice scared her, she hadn’t smelled him coming in. Charlotte's fingers fumbled as she tried to grab the vial but it shattered on the floor. She muttered no’s over and over again as she looked at the destroyed medicine.Her head snapped up when she heard the creak of the stairs as Steve’s foot stepped on it. Charlotte was sweating in panic and even worse she could smell Steve and it made the warmth in her abdomen burn a little more.

“You still have an Omega here?” he called as his nose was suddenly flooded with the scent of an Omega he didn’t recognize. 

Charlotte saw a chance. 

“Holy shit, Steve, get the fuck out! Be down in a minute.” Her voice summoned up as much Alpha in it as possible. 

“Sorry. Sorry. Just thought you came back alone.” 

He retreated and she waited until she heard the door close. Charlotte went back to the broken vial and spilled serum. She was in heat, even if she stayed in the room someone ran the risk of smelling it. There was no choice but to take the vial meant for tomorrow morning and join them at dinner. She would have to beg Bruce to try and get her just one more bottle before the next month of injections was delivered. With extra careful hands, she took the vial for tomorrow morning and stabbed the syringe into it. 

No one was any wiser when the woman got downstairs, instead cracking jokes about Steve almost walking in on something he shouldn’t have. He just complained that the suppressants were making Charlotte annoying that day and hoped she never lost focus on taking the meds again. She sat next to Sam and dropped her head on his shoulder before grabbing some food to pile on a plate. Steve was on the other side of him and Charlotte was trying to control every urge to reach out to him— the thought scaring her a little bit. On the team, Steve was now the only unclaimed Alpha. That had to be the reason she felt so drawn, at least that’s what she was telling herself. Which meant sooner or later she would have to go out and find somebody else to try and suppress any urges. 

“You watching a movie with us?” Wanda asked. 

Charlotte straightened up and grabbed her plate, dumping the scraps in the trash and the dish in the sink. With a classic side smile, she strutted to the elevator. No matter what, she remembered how to be an Alpha. 

“Sorry, Wands. Still a little busy upstairs if you know what I mean.”

“You should’ve invited them down for dinner.”

The woman barked out a laugh. “No chance. They’ll start thinking I’m trying to bond with them.” 

The elevator closed before anyone could say anything else. Charlotte muttered a thank you to no one in particular that she was in the clear. No one would bother her for the rest of the night. She texted Bruce. The message he sent back wasn’t particularly comforting. He wasn’t sure if he could sneak out a vial to replace the one the had been dropped. It was easier to fudge the numbers for the beginning month shipment but not once a few weeks had gone by. Charlotte sighed in frustration and practically buried herself under the comforter. 

* * *

**N** o one else was allowed to touch Charlotte's mission bag. It was a small mission but Maria said they would have to hideout for a few days. Which meant Charlotte would have to bring the injections with her. She wasn't taking the chance of letting anyone else touch the bag and accidentally breaking the vials or discovering them. Very carefully, she set down the bag by her feet and sat down in the co-pilot chair. Charlotte stiffened at the footsteps behind her. 

“I thought Buck was flying with me,” she said. 

“He and Steve are running over last minute plans. You’re stuck with me.” 

Sharon sat down in the other seat. Neither one of them looked at each other. They didn’t have to talk to get the job done so the flight was long and silent. Charlotte stretched and jumped out of the quinjet when it reached the safe house. The other four followed behind her, the feeling of still being a leader made her feel warm and proud inside. The safe house was nothing spectacular but it also wasn’t the worst one, some were literal shacks in the desert. 

“Alright.” Maria dropped her bag. “Buck and I are in the small room. Sharon, Steve, and Charlotte get the big one.” 

She almost dropped her bag. “What?” 

“Three unclaimed Alphas. Not smart to have you guys room with me or Bucky when we both have bonds. I’m not saying anything would happen but if the mission accidentally starts you up, better to be safe about it. Before our partners kill you when we get back home.” 

Charlotte sulked into the big room and threw her stuff on the smaller twin bed in the corner. No one thought much of it. It was easy to assume that she was just annoyed at the thought of having to room with Steve and Sharon, especially when they would be sharing the bigger full-size bed. Internally she was panicking. 

She had been on missions with Maria before, she was a heavy sleeper. If it wasn’t a high-stakes mission so close to what should have been Charlotte's usual rut time, she would have bunked with her no problem. And Maria's tendency to not wake up once her head hit the pillow was perfect for the other woman. It gave Charlotte a nice window of opportunity to take her suppressants and injections. The safe house only had one bathroom and she didn’t want to risk carrying the vials back and forth from the bed to the bathroom so she would have to be sneaky and take them in the room. Charlotte stripped from her normal clothes and into her suit. 

The fighting wasn’t much that day. Charlotte quickly showered and slammed the bedroom door shut, knowing someone would barge in a few minutes later. Like clockwork, she had barely slipped on her shirt when Sharon and Steve walked in. 

“You both ever heard of knocking? It’s a new invention, you should try it sometimes.” 

They rolled their eyes and flopped down on the bed. Sharon got up first to take a shower. Bucky entered the room as she left and sat down on the big bed. The two men looked at Charlotte expectantly. Their eyebrows lifted when she plopped down on the small twin bed. 

“First time for everything I guess,” Bucky said with a laugh. “We’re both all washed up Lot, not sweaty.” 

It was pretty customary for Team Cap to have a post-mission cuddle each night of the missions. Usually it was all five of them: Sam, Steve, Bucky, Nat, and Charlotte. They would find a way to fit all their bodies on the same bed and just talk about nothing until it was time to sleep. Maria and Sharon didn’t share the same enthusiasm for post-mission talks when they joined the small team— most of the Avengers didn’t share that enthusiasm. 

There wasn’t really a good excuse for her to avoid them so Charlotte took in a deep breath, enjoying the last smell of fresh air, and pushed herself off the bed to move to the bigger one. She could gag at the overpowering smell of them. It never bothered her before, now it was downright ridiculous. They talked and she contributed where she could. If Charlotte could hold her nose she would have. Steve and Bucky didn’t smell anything from her at all and of course they weren’t bothered by the smell of each other. 

There was only one time in her life that Charlotte would ever show gratitude to Sharon and this was one of them. When she strolled back into the room yawning, Bucky took that as his cue to leave and let everyone go to bed. Charlotte moved back to the small twin bed and turned her back on the other two. It felt like hours had gone by. She couldn’t fall asleep until she took the injection because she couldn’t set an alarm to wake her up without waking up Sharon and Steve as well. Charlotte turned over and saw two bodies that weren’t moving. As gently as she could, she sat up and grabbed the vial from the bag under the bed. 

“You still up?” 

Sharon asked. The band fell from between Charlotte's teeth and she silently screamed as the vial dropped and she could hear the sound of it breaking. It was still dark in the room but she felt Sharon could make out an outline of her body. At least she couldn’t see anything for real. 

“Your bed creaking woke me up.” 

“Forgot to put on my headscarf and take my suppressant, my bad.” 

Charlotte fished for another vial, pissed that she had damaged another one and was completely screwed for the last days of the month. She hoped Sharon would mistake the sound of the broken vial as her dropping the pill bottle and hastily stabbed herself with the injection. She quickly dropped the items back in the bag before Sharon's eyes could adjust to the darkness and begin to see what was actually happening. 

The syringe laid at the bottom of the bag. It was unsafe carrying all of them in there but there was no place in the safe house Charlotte felt comfortable disposing the used ones in. She wasn't going to risk someone finding it in the trash. She said another goodnight before Sharon could say another word and went to sleep. 

All four nights at the safe house were met with very rough sleep. Charlotte was always on edge every night and slept very few hours to make sure she was up before Steve so she could take the morning shot. It was noticeable to the others. She seemed irritable and no one would say it but it wasn’t the most pleasant to be around. She was even at Sharon’s throat more than usual. When they returned to the tower, Charlotte immediately jumped off the quinjet and headed to her room not saying hi to anyone but Sam. The others informed everyone of what was going on when she stormed back in all done up in the tightest and shortest outfit possible. 

“Jacket,” Charlotte demanded from Steve. 

Her foot tapped with great impatience at how long he was taking to do what she asked. He took his jacket off and handed it to her with little hesitation. Charlotte adjusted it on her, shoving her stuff into the jacket pockets. 

“I’ll be out all night. Don’t need to know where I’m going, don’t wait up, don’t need me. Bye.” 

The team watched her heavy boot stomping towards the elevator. 

“Has she ever had a rut that bad?” Vision asked. 

“She was getting miserable the last couple of days,” Bucky said. 

“Kept forgetting to take her suppressant before bed,” Steve added. “Woke me up almost every night. She’s not very jittery but has been the whole damn time.” 

“Well, there’s your answer. She normally takes it pretty routinely, Charlotte’s good for that. She’ll be fine tomorrow just needs to work it out,” Bruce covered. 

He hadn’t been able to steal another vial and the last day of the mission was also the last day of the month’s supply. Charlotte was going to stay out all night and sneak back to the tower after everyone left the residential floors where she would stay until the next morning and Bruce could get her the next crate. And she would be more careful. He couldn’t sneak out more than she needed and she wasn't going to let another mistake happen where she lost a vial. 

The tight club outfit was on purpose. Charlotte had to dress like the most promiscuous Alpha out there to help play the part. It was also her previous clubbing outfit and hadn’t been washed, keeping that scent on her. Steve’s jacket was a second precaution. If her faded scent on old clothes wasn’t enough, his jacket had to be. She was surrounded by Alpha smells, there wasn’t a hint of Omega in sight. 

Charlotte wasn't going to any clubs. It would be stupid to take that risk of getting sweaty on a dance floor and letting the Omega scent slip out. Instead, she decided to hang out at a twenty-four hour diner and just play around on her phone and listen to music until she could go back home. The waitress was so nice as she gave her the food and first round of coffee. 

“Are you working the late shift?” Charlotte asked her in the most pleasant tone she could muster. 

It was important to seem super friendly when she absolutely reeked of Alpha. She wasn't trying to scare the Omega waitress or make her think she was up to something. The waitress went back to the bar seating area and began to wipe it down. 

“Night shift gets the best tips around this time of the month,” she said with a shrug. 

She wasn’t wrong. The end of the month was always some party in New York City— a good chunk of them thrown by Tony. Everyone was out, money was getting spent left and right, and if you breathed too deep the whole city reeked of sex. 

“Also the most drunks this time of the month.”

Charlotte said with a sip of the coffee. There were other words unsaid but the waitress seemed to understand the woman. A lot of Alphas ran around and even bonded ones were subject to cause havoc. The waitress finished wiping down the area and collecting plates that had been left by other patrons. The diner was empty except for the two of them. She came back to refill the coffee. 

“Sit.” 

Charlotte motioned to the booth seat across from her. The waitress looked around. 

“Ah, no one else is in. Come on, have a cup of coffee.”


	4. Chapter 4

The waitress’ shoulders relaxed and she grabbed a mug for herself. Charlotte ate and listened to her tell her life story. When it became clear the former Alpha wasn't trying to make a move on her but just wanted the company, she opened up a lot. Charlotte's phone rang and after the fourth one she looked down at it on the table. 

“I think someone wants you.” 

With an audible sigh, she picked up the phone. “I thought I said don’t need me tonight?” 

Charlotte bit back a smile at the fact the waitress shrunk a little bit into the booth. She wasn't trying to scare the woman— the bite in her voice was solely for the person on the other end of the call— but the fact that her Alpha voice was somewhat still there made her feel better. 

“Relax, hothead,” Nat screamed into the phone. “We’re all at the club. Maurice on 33rd.” 

“Don’t need your help bagging someone for the night. Not interested.” 

“Have fun with us!”

“I said not interested.”

“But—”

“Nat, I’m already in a bed and you’re interrupting.” 

Charlotte knocked on the table just to mimic some noise. The waitress across from her knocked in time to hers and made a few breathy gasps. 

“Oh, oops— no she’s already with someone— Lot? We’ll be out till like four if you finish early. Bye.” 

Nat hung up quickly, not wanting to interrupt anymore. Charlotte set the phone back on the table and grabbed the coffee mug after the waitress poured another cup. 

“Thank you,” she said with a sip. 

“What’s so bad you’re in a diner instead of a party?” 

“Nothing, just tired of them trying to set me up with someone. Needed a quiet night.” 

“Well you picked the wrong night for that.”

They both laughed.

“Empty diner seems pretty perfect to me.” 

She raised her mug in a touche and drank. Charlotte pushed the rest of her plate towards her, figuring that she hadn’t eaten since whenever her last break was. She took it gratefully. Charlotte was given another side-eye until she reached for her phone to text Bruce. She didn’t blame the waitress. It was natural to be suspicious of an Alpha this late at night on party night. She wasn't making a move on her but it made sense she was still a little weary, thinking Charlotte was going to try something. The little bell on the door rang and both women turned their heads. A guy walked in wearing the same uniform as her. Her face lit up as she tossed him the notepad. 

“Well, my shift is over. It was nice talking to you. Made the end of my shift a lot of fun.” 

She walked out the diner and Charlotte sat back in the seat. As she walked out, others walked in. The second round of partying was over for the night and people were stumbling in to fill their stomachs before going out for round three. More Alphas than Betas or Omegas piled in and Charlotte was getting uncomfortable. 

No one paid her any attention. Of course not, she still smelled like an Alpha and despite all the laughs with the waitress, she hadn’t broken a sweat. But she was paying attention to the rest of them. So Charlotte flagged down the now very busy waiter and paid the bill, leaving him a pretty generous tip to split with the waitress. 

The street already smelled to no surprise. She wished people learned to close their windows. Top floor apartment buildings never remembered until it was time to sleep. They should learn to keep their stink in their own house. She needed another place to go. All the diners were probably just as full but if one was packed with Betas and Omegas more than Alphas, Charlotte could deal with that. The diner she stopped by was close to Maurice where the team was. 

Maurice was a popular spot of the Avengers. Charlotte knew the area well enough, another diner was a little bit past the club. Was it likely to have Alphas? Probably, but there should have been a third diner just across the street so she might as well just check them both out. She pulled out her phone to check if the diner across the street was twenty-four hours, she couldn’t remember. 

A shout got Charlotte's attention followed by lots of growling. A second whimper and the scared pheromones of an Omega wafted past her nose. A smell she recognized having just spent several hours with her. Charlotte booked it down the street and into the backroad where the smell grew stronger. The waitress was being dragged along by several Alphas further into the alley— she tried to dig her shoes into the ground but only ended up stumbling over her own two feet. Charlotte growled as best as she could. Most of her Alpha actions came from memories of it rather than her actually being able to do them naturally. The group stopped and looked at her. This wasn’t a time to sound semi-reasonable. So Charlotte puffed up her chest and stalked towards them. 

“What do you think you’re doing with my Omega?” she snarled. 

“Don’t smell a claim on her,” one of them said. “Not yours.”

“But we’d consider sharing,” another said and the others laughed. 

Charlotte looked down like she was thinking before winding a fist back and connecting it with his face. The man held his jaw and looked at her. Everyone else got quiet. 

“What the fuck, man?” 

“I said she’s mine.” 

The biggest of them stepped up to Charlotte. “We found her first. Stand down.” 

“Find another.” 

They both started snarling. His voice boomed as he commanded Charlotte to stand down. It scared her shitless as she felt a shift. Everything was screaming to not just relent but to also submit to him. She thought about the waitress shivering in fear nearby and willed whatever Alpha memories she had left to help her out just once. Charlotte held a fist up. 

“You want a broken jaw to match your friend’s?” 

The man grumbled and shook his head out. “Not worth it. Damn, you’re one tough Alpha. God bless whoever’s fucking stuck with you.” 

He and his friends laughed as they let the waitress go. They walked off, one of them patting Charlotte on the shoulder. 

“Don’t know which would be better, don’t think an Alpha could even deal with that broad and an Omega…”

She didn’t hear the end of what he said but judging by the way they all laughed it was clearly a joke at her expense. The waitress was still trembling against the alley wall. Charlotte helped her to her feet. She started thanking the woman over and over again, mentioning how she had never had that problem before. Charlotte took off her jacket and wrapped it around the waitress and zipped it up. 

“Go straight home.” 

She buried herself in the scent of the jacket and nodded. Charlotte sighed against the wall as she heard her feet walk off. Looking down at the phone still in her hand, she went back to what she was doing seeing that the diner was actually closed. Charlotte pulled up Google to check what other diners were closed and open, feeling like she seriously needed a drink after what just happened. A hand on her shoulder made her jump before relaxing when she looked up to see it was just Steve. Now that her adrenaline was gone, his scent actually hit her. 

“Charlie? You absolutely reek, what the hell?” 

Steve was caught off guard. Charlotte didn’t stay around long enough after sex with people to smell strongly of them and she rarely let them sniff her scent glands or even give her a hickey but the scent was so obvious. She could smell her own scent on her. Without the injection and after that stupid Alpha standoff, the pheromones were stinking up the alleyway. The only good the suppressants were doing at the moment was making sure she wouldn’t get pregnant— the whole event had Charlotte producing more pheromones than the medicine could block from emitting. 

“Bunch of Alphas trying to mess with an Omega.” 

Steve grimaced. “I hate that people think they do whatever they want just because of presentation.” 

“Found her before anything happened. Gave your jacket though, sorry.” 

“Don’t be, based on how you stink she probably needed it. At least she’ll get home safe. Can’t say much for you now. Seriously, Charlotte. You reek like hell.” 

“She was scared shitless.” 

“Tilt your head.” 

She raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me, Steve?” 

“It’s bad. You step out of here and they’ll all be on you. Temporary scent, just for protection. I can barely smell you past her scent.” 

“I can take care of some trouble. You act like I’m not an Avenger.”

“We don’t need you giving third degree burns to every drunk Alpha or Beta that tries to cross you.” 

“Steve.”

“Charlotte.” 

His eyes were narrowing and she knew he was about to do another standoff. She couldn’t handle another one. She was already smelling so much that if she lost— which Charlotte was sure she would— then another wave of pheromones would roll off of her and there wasn’t an Omega in the alley to blame it on. The little of her Alpha scent from her clothes wasn’t going to mean anything. She sighed as if she was annoyed and tilted her head back, exposing her neck to him. 

“Don’t leave a hickey.” 

He laughed against her neck and went back to sniffing and kissing the delicate area. He only sniffed and left light kisses so as not to leave a mark at her request. Steve pulled back and sniffed the air. It was still there but he smelled himself a little bit. He wasn’t satisfied that it would be enough.

“Come on.” 

He threw an arm around her and led her to Maurice and into the club where the rest of the team was sitting at a booth. Their heads snapped up as the two walked up to them. Bruce and Sam tried to keep a calm face while communicating with eyes and eyebrows to Charlotte. 

“I’m taking Charlie home. She saved some Omega in the alley.”

Bruce nodded. “It’s probably best, no offense but you smell of them, Lot.” 

“Thanks, Bruce. Last time I try to be nice for others.” She played off of him like everything was normal. 

The other Alphas at the table growled and Charlotte's attention was turned to a different place. Some random stranger— smelling strongly of Alpha— was eyeing her with a dark glint in his eye while she talked to them. Steve’s arm went back to wrap around her. Rather aggressively, he nudged Charlotte's head back and began sucking at the spot on her neck where the scent glands were— staring at the other man the whole time, not blinking. Without bringing attention to himself, Sam pulled at his friend's hand when he noticed her eyes threatening to close and knees ready to buckle. Charlotte was brought back into the moment and remembered to not give in to whatever her dumb Omega senses wanted from the Alpha currently with their lips all over her neck. She had to think of other things because if she focused too much on the semi-sexual moment, extra pheromones would start to emit and that would be the biggest mistake she could make. 

The man finally looked away. Steve had to force himself to pull back from Charlotte, the scent of that Omega she saved unexpectedly was driving him a little crazy— he liked the way it smelled, kind of like Charlotte's Alpha scent but with something else added. He looked at her neck and swiped at the wet spot he left behind with his thumb. 

“Sorry, I couldn’t think of anything else.” 

“It’s fine. Don’t know if I can show my face around here though, everyone now probably thinks I’m some weak Omega… no offense,” she said to Bruce and Wanda. 

Bruce shrugged without a care knowing Charlotte was projecting extra to save herself. Wanda didn’t take it to heart— knowing Charlotte loved her— but the woman noticed the slight fall of her face. It was one thing for everyone to think and feel some type of way but with two very capable Omegas on the team, no one liked to really say anything too insulting towards the dynamic. Everything they said was about the dynamic in general and never had anything to do with any Omega or Beta under SHIELD. But words on the wrong night could definitely sting. Everyone else chuckled a bit at Charlotte's face. 

“I think I should get home.” 

The others agreed that would be best and she and Steve started out the club and home to the tower. The incident wasn’t brought up the entire way back. With not just Steve’s scent but his physical presence there, no one bothered them on the way. 

“I thought I said to stop working late,” Charlotte chuckled as she entered the lobby to see Roseanne. 

Like Sam and Bruce, her eyes widened at the smell but she fixed her surprise quickly. 

“Is that a command?” 

“Don’t test me.” 

The two laughed. Roseanne clicked a couple of keys and sent an email before bending down to throw Steve’s other leather jacket she had kept down there at her. Steve just chuckled. 

“That’s where you hid the other one. Thought I could trust you, Roseanne.” 

She gave him a sarcastic salute. Charlotte handed the jacket back to Steve. It was useless to her now that the smell had worn off of it. Roseanne typed something else and then took a risk to ask.

“So you two?” 

“Nothing like that,” Charlotte said as she drummed her hand against the counter. “Needed some help.” 

Charlotte cringed at that realizing it sounded exactly like what was being insinuated. 

“A different kind of help… you know what, night. See you later, Roseanne.” 

She sped away from the desk. Steve barely caught the elevator as Charlotte pressed the button for her floor. 

“You really hate people thinking something’s going on,” he said with a chuckle. “Would it really be that bad?” 

“You’re probably great in bed, Steve. Don’t care to find out.” 

He put a hand over his heart and pretended to sob. 

“Look at us, two headasses in the bedroom is what it would be.” 

“It’s cause you’re stubborn as hell.”

“Me?” She turned to face him. 

“Yes, you,” Steve said. “You’d be the nightmare not me.” 

“Oh please, you’d love it.” 

“The sex? Yeah, maybe. Your goddamn mouth running the whole time? I don’t know.” 

“Everyone else thinks it’s great.”

“Other Alphas?” He asked as the elevator doors opened. 

“Eh, depends on who’s submitting that night.”

“Let me guess, usually them.” 

“Right on the money.”

Charlotte headed towards her room and Steve kept following. They were friends so of course he would but somehow she expected him to stop at his door. It felt intimidating that he wanted to come into her space. She hadn’t even cleaned up the room in a way that she would want him to see— immediately Charlotte cursed herself for even thinking that. 

“Too bad you’ll never find out for yourself,” she teased to try and bring her Alpha self back. 

“Nothing stopping you.”

“Not interested in being compared to Sharon.” 

“Why are you two so opposed to each other?” He leaned against the doorway now that they had reached it. 

“She has it out for me.”

“You don’t make it easier… but you’re right, I’ll talk to her.” 

“No you won’t, Captain. That’s sure to make it worse. It’s just a little dispute. We were both training together long before you thawed out the ice. Same scores, same everything. I said I wasn’t interested in Avengers, was supposed to be a standard field agent on the international team with a nice set up in the tropics. And then something woke up my powers and it would’ve been stupid to not be on the team. Nick didn’t even give us time to talk, just replaced her with me.”

“I didn’t know.” 

“Of course not. Why would your little girlfriend tell you that?”

“She’s not my girlfriend.” 

“You two go back to each other so often, might as well be. Just bond already.” 

“Not interested in bonding with just anyone.” 

“Right, high standards.” 

“Not that high.”

Steve pushed past the doorway to sit down in the sitting area. He was tired of standing in the door. Charlotte scoffed at his statement and went to the little kitchenette to grab a drink. She fished out two beers since she cut his partying and drinking short by having to take her home. Steve quickly stood up while she was at the fridge to take off his shoes and put them at the door, remembering Charlotte had a thing about the team dragging their outdoor shoes through her space. He stretched out on the couch, noting only one pillow was there instead of the usual pile. He accepted the beer. Charlotte sat on the other side of the couch and put her feet on his lap. 

“Mr. Golden Boy, your standards are higher than this tower.” 

“Not that high. I’ve met a few people that meet them.” 

“Peggy doesn’t count. I meant someone from this decade you still have a chance with.” 

“Wasn’t talking about Peggy,” he said with a swig of the beer. His eyes were on hers. 

“Not this again.” 

Steve laughed. “I remember you liking me when I first thawed out. Even remember a nice kiss after the Battle of New York.” 

“Then you left for D.C. and started kissing all over Sharon.” 

“It was a rut, she was there.” 

“I don’t really care who you sleep with Cap, just not dealing with Sharon’s shit,” Charlotte said with a shrug. 

The two kept talking and Charlotte became super comfortable covered in his scent. She set down the empty beer bottle on the table and laid back even more, both drowsy and tipsy. Steve was obviously fine and still in the mood to keep conversation going, partially because he wanted to stay longer. There was something intoxicating to him about the idea that Charlotte's whole space smelled like nothing but him— he felt himself wanting to stay longer and really solidify his mark there. 

“If I did want to bond though…” 

Charlotte was too tired to watch herself, both the Omega cells and Alpha memories were speaking at the same time. Neither winning, and everything spilling out. 

“Not saying I’d do it, but maybe I’d think about it… still don’t like Sharon.” 

He laughed and looked over at the woman, noting her eyes were closed. Steve shook her foot a bit and she didn’t wake up. Instead, her foot just moved trying to shake off whatever was touching it. He set down his drink and got up. Steve adjusted Charlotte in his hold so he could carry her upstairs to the bed. His eyes were glued to where the tight leather shorts stopped. There was a bruise growing around a pinprick mark— even though it hurt a bit, Charlotte stabbed the same area to avoid having lots of needle marks especially in visible places. Steve would suggest she go to medical when she woke up tomorrow but Charlotte was peaceful in his arms and he didn’t want to bother her now. He deposited her gently on the bed and pulled the covers over her. 

Against his better nature, he let his fingers brush against her neck where he had been kissing it. He quickly pulled his hand away when Charlotte sighed at the touch— it wasn’t his intention to wake her up. He started to walk away when his eye was drawn to the nightstand. Steve was staring at the empty syringe there. It was the same as the one he had found by her bag in the safe house when he went to pack up the jet. Charlotte had screamed at him to not touch her shit and snatched the bag away from him quickly. He shook his head from any bad thoughts. It wasn’t his place to speculate anything. The only evidence he had was the fact he had seen two syringes near her stuff. None of it meant anything. 

The late morning came and Charlotte was still asleep when he knocked on the door. He didn’t try again, figuring he could handle getting Charlotte her coffee order without needing her there. If Roseanne was at the receptionist desk, he would have leaned over to check if Charlotte had any of his other jackets stored behind there. But it wasn’t Roseanne, it was another employee. One he didn’t know well at all so he just left the lobby. 

The walk to the diner was very noisy— it was New York City, it was always noisy. The little bell jangled and Steve walked straight to the bar seating and ordered the drinks from the young Alpha manning the little coffee station. He leaned against the counter while he waited for Charlotte's elaborate drink to be finished. 

“Excuse me?” a small voice asked. 

Steve looked up from his phone to see a woman in front of him with a leather jacket folded over her arms. She picked at the jacket and when Steve didn’t say anything she decided to continue. 

“This is yours, I think, or your friend’s. Um, Charlotte? She kind of saved my life last night. She left her stuff in the jacket and the wallet had the address for Avengers Tower but the tag says Steve Rogers. I was headed to return it but saw you in the window.” 

She held out the jacket. Steve took it, honestly not expecting to get it back. It was nice that there was still hospitality in the world. His scent was off of it for sure. That didn’t surprise him. A scared Omega and based on how it had covered Charlotte, his jacket stood no chance from the incident. Since he was only wearing a button down, Steve put on his jacket. 

“Well thank you for the return and I hope you got home saf—” he stopped as he adjusted his collar. 

The woman thanked him for his concern and assured that she made it okay. She even said something about Steve should tell Charlotte to stop by the diner again on her next shift but he wasn’t paying attention to any of it. The scent on the jacket didn’t match the one from the incident. He stuck a hand in the pocket and pulled out the contents. They were all Charlotte's. The woman had given him the correct clothes. Discreetly, he took a sniff. The Omega in front of him smelled everything like the jacket and nothing like the scent of last night. That was a smell he couldn’t forget, not when Charlotte was drenched in it when he found her in the alley. But now that scent was nowhere to be found— the really sweet smell of apple butter, bark, and roasted coffee beans that she normally carried plus that one added scent of fresh linen that he never smelled before. None of that was lingering despite the fact the Omega she saved was standing so close to him. 

“You’ll do that?” the woman asked and shook Steve out of his thoughts. 

“Huh?” 

“Tell her my next shift is in a few days. Starts at four, food’s on me.” 

“Yeah, sure. I’ll tell her.” 

She bounded away with excitement. The barista handed Steve the two cups of coffee. He grabbed them and headed out the door. The whole walk back and even in the elevators Steve couldn’t help but smell the jacket, trying to get a grasp of the scent he felt like he was craving from last night. He gave up as the doors opened to his floor. Steve paused when he saw Bruce standing at Charlotte's door holding two boxes. 

“Hey, Bruce.” 

The scientist almost jumped as he saw Steve. 

“Hey, Cap.” 

“What’s that?” 

“Don’t know,” Bruce lied. “It’s a package for Lot, they accidentally dropped it off at my lab. My name’s on it but the address was hers. Some sort of mix up.”

“Just walk in, she’s still asleep. We kind of stayed up when we got back.” 

Bruce nodded and adjusted the heavy box to reach for the door. The smaller package fell from the box. Both he and Steve leaned down to pick it up. The top of the box still in Bruce’s hand shifted, the lid sliding off. Steve set his coffee on the ground to pick up the box top and hand it back to the scientist. His hand stopped as he looked in the box. Lots of unmarked labels and a ton of needles. Steve’s jaw clenched thinking about what he saw earlier. 

“Wait.” He stopped Bruce. “Let her sleep more, we need a team meeting.”

“Shouldn’t we wake Charlotte?”

“Meeting’s about Charlotte.” 

Bruce got nervous as he followed Steve back into the elevators. He clutched the box tightly as Steve informed FRIDAY to call everyone but Charlotte into the dining room.


	5. Chapter 5

The rest of the team piled into the dining room. Each person took a glance at the box and the syringes inside. Steve made Bruce tell them the same thing the scientist told him. Except Bruce lied and said he didn’t know what it was, thankful he made the smart decision to remove any labels from the vials. He offered to analyze it and report back later. 

“What do you think it is?” Wanda asked. 

“No clue but it shouldn’t take too long to find in the lab.” 

“She has an injection mark,” Steve confessed. “Saw it the other night, her inner thighs all bruised in a single spot.” 

* * *

**C** harlotte woke up feeling happy despite the fact that the night before was one of the most stressful ever. It didn’t matter. Steve’s scent was everywhere and that was good enough for her to wake up with a smile. She showered and changed, excited to wear a fresh pair of clothes for once. Steve’s scent was still there a little bit from the marking of her neck. It wouldn’t stay but she could now roam freely down to the kitchen for breakfast and wait for Bruce to give her the package. 

Despite the smell of everyone in the dining room, Charlotte strolled downstairs confidently. No one responded to her good morning but it didn’t phase her much. She dug around the cabinets for the quick-ready coffee pod in the flavor she wanted. 

“I got you a coffee.” 

She turned to see Steve holding up the drink. Closing the cabinet, she strolled over and took the cup. Everyone was still standing even after Charlotte sat down at the table. After a second long sip, she looked at them. 

“You all statues, now?” 

“Lot,” Bucky started. “Are you feeling alright?” 

“Little tired but great overall. Passed out last night and slept like the dead.” 

“We’ve just been noticing you seem a little off.” 

“Off?”

“Irritable and jittery all the time,” Tony filled in. 

One by one they all started adding other things they noticed. Charlotte was irritable, moody, forgetful of things she normally had on a tight schedule. Not hanging out with them as much. Staying out way too late. Not letting the team know where she was when she did leave. Nat rolled her eyes and lifted the hidden box from the chair and slammed it on the table. She felt they all were dancing around it too much. Charlotte's eyes went wide. 

“What the hell are these and why did you put them under Bruce’s name?” Nat asked, not even hiding the accusatory tone. 

“That’s not mine.”

“Bullshit, your room number is on there.” 

“It’s probably supposed to go to Bruce. The mix up was the address not the name.”

“Then why do you look like a deer in headlights? So what is it? Ketamine?” 

“Judging by the viscosity, I’d say maybe MDMA,” Tony piped up. 

“Are you guys accusing me of being on drugs?” You said, shocked. 

Drugs were a serious offense in SHIELD. An agent risked their team on a mission if they were under the influence. Caught on drugs and an agent was forced to take mandatory leave until they cleaned up. The accusation pissed Charlotte off. The fact they would throw it around, if it got past the team it might cost the woman her spot. Getting mad wasn’t the smart idea but she couldn’t help it until it was too late. Just under her nose she could smell it. The Omega pheromones seeped out a little bit. 

It was then she realized she hadn’t taken a suppressant either because it was the box Bruce was supposed to give her. The box that was currently sitting right in front of her. Steve’s scent was still masking it but the fact that Charlotte could smell it right under his was not a good sign. She squeezed the coffee cup tightly to the point it might fold in under the pressure in attempts to keep it under control. Charlotte only set the cup down once the coffee had spilled on her hand— she had heated it up by accident and burned a hole in the cup. 

“Guys, I’m pretty sure Lot isn’t taking anything not approved by Dr. Cho.” Sam tried to save her. 

“I got hurt on the last mission, it’s no big deal. They’re just standard steroids till the muscle inflammations calm down. What is wrong with you all?” 

She reached for the box and Bucky held it down with his metal hand making Charlotte snarl at him. 

“You seem to be getting hurt a lot recently.” 

“Bucky, let it go.” 

“We’re looking out for you. This shit is serious, Lot.” He pulled the box back. 

“I already told you guys. Give me my shit back!” 

“Charlotte!” Bucky yelled. 

He wasn’t fully using an Alpha command but it was enough to make the woman have to bite back a whimper. Sam put a hand on the other man’s bicep to get him to chill while Bruce was attempting to quickly diffuse and get everyone to drop it— no one was listening to his explanation that the steroids made sense and it was an honest mix-up. Charlotte could really smell her scent now, Steve’s damn near gone. Panic was setting in. The tears in her eyes didn’t help her case but made it worse as the team was almost positive that the drug accusation was the truth. Charlotte reached for the box one more. 

“Please just give it to me!” She half whined with the tears streaming in full effect. 

“Stand. Down.” Steve commanded. 

She wildly shook her head as the tears came down harder, knowing the damage was done. Charlotte sat back in the seat and didn’t look at any of them. All at once the team pulled a face at the sudden influx of a new Omega scent. Her head shook slightly as they all looked around in confusion. Steve recognized the scent immediately— the one he had been missing from the jacket. 

“Charlie?” Steve asked gently. 

She forced herself to look at the entire team. It wasn’t the prettiest sight: her face was stained with tears, nose snotty, and she was sure that if she could turn red she would have been red all over. Charlotte tried to hold her head up but all the eyes on her weren't making it too easy. There was a range of emotions on the team’s faces. She wiped her nose with the sleeve of her shirt, waiting for someone to say something. No one spoke, just stared. She shot out of the chair and ran up to her room, taking the stairs instead of the elevator and ignoring everyone’s shouts for her. 

Her back was slumped against the door of her room and she cried even harder now having privacy. Downstairs, the team was wondering what was going on until Bruce finally confessed. They didn’t believe him until he came back with the real medical records that he had hidden in his nesting supplies. It was staring at them plain as day. Bruce said he was working on a reversal based off of the initial formula but it wasn’t looking promising at all. Steve walked away from the table. 

“Where are you going?” Vision asked. 

“To talk to Charlotte,” he answered like it was obvious. 

“Steve,” Sam started but the man was already down the hall. 

“Is she really an Omega now?” Nat asked. 

“Well, partially. She’s coexisting as both for now technically. She still has her Alpha skills, memories, and the cells are there but they produce Omega DNA. That formula was meant to make a mutation of sorts. Eventually the old Alpha cells will die and the new ones produce Omega without having the mutation but as if they were always her original makeup. But yeah, she’s one of us now.” Bruce motioned to him and Wanda. 

* * *

**S** teve knocked on Charlotte's door to be greeted with no response. He could hear the sniffling and knew she was sitting right against it. He tried again to be met with the same response. More silence when he called her name. Charlotte felt a bang against the door as Steve slumped against it as well. 

“Bruce explained the whole thing. I’m right outside the door when you’re ready. Alright, doll?” 

He wasn’t sure how long he would be there but was prepared to wait all night. Few beats of silence passed. It wasn’t the most gentlemanly thing to do while she was in distress but he couldn’t help taking in the new scent that was all around. Her words from last night echoed in his head. He brought himself back to the present. Now was not the time to think about her and bonding, it wouldn’t be right. The door opened and he jumped up to his feet. 

“Can I come into your space?” Steve asked. 

He was already adjusted to the woman's new status, asking to enter an Omega space instead of simply barging into an Alpha one like he would have in the past. Charlotte nodded her head slightly and stepped aside. Steve took off his shoes at the door and walked in. She closed the door behind him and just stood there with a hand still on the doorknob. Steve turned to look at her while she was looking anywhere but him. 

A finger pointed to the couch and he walked over. Like last night, Charlotte got two drinks— plain water not any alcohol. Steve gently grabbed her foot and when she didn’t pull away he settled both feet in his lap. He watched her open her mouth to speak before closing it. The waterworks started again. He pulled her whole body into his lap and Charlotte let him. Steve just rubbed her back and she wanted to push him away but hold him close at the same time. 

“Why’d you hide it?” he asked. 

“Did you see the way you all looked at me? SHIELD agent or not, Avenger or not, we all know where Omegas fit on the hierarchy… already black and a woman, the Alpha thing was my one boost in life.” 

Steve didn’t say anything because she was right. He had so easily accepted the new Omega status. The whole team did and they had only known for an hour or two. Charlotte's words made him look at her again realizing how quickly he reasoned that she was now weaker— he’d be lying if he said he could act like it wasn’t what they were all thinking. Sure Charlotte had powers like Wanda and sure Bruce could turn into a giant green monster but outside the battlefield all three of them were Omegas and nothing changed that fact. A knock on the door broke the quiet. 

“It’s Nat.” The voice called out. “Can I enter your space?” 

Charlotte looked up at Steve and shook her head, not able to handle another Alpha at the moment. 

“She’s not ready, Natasha,” he called out. 

“Alright. I’m in my room when you’re feeling better, Lot. Buck and Bruce won’t be there. I promise.” 

Nat’s footsteps retreated and Charlotte relaxed against Steve once again. Steve on the other hand stiffened up. His super senses allowed him to smell Nat from across the space. Charlotte's new Omega scent had set all the Alphas off, even bonded ones. It had settled like a blanket at the dining room table that their ruts couldn’t help but to start whether it was time for them or not. He was resisting saying anything and tried not to move too much. He was especially trying to stop the growl in his throat at the thought of Nat coming into the new Omega's space while she was also in a rut— it wasn’t working, Charlotte could feel the rumbling of his chest. She gently hit him. 

“Stop it.” 

“Hmm?” he looked down at her. 

“Don’t hmm me, I can smell you… is it too much? Do you want to go find Sharon?” 

She didn’t mean for her voice to sound pained when she said her name but it did anyway. Steve’s thumb traced Charlotte's scent glands. Now that she had calmed down, he could smell himself on her once again. It was right, it all felt just right. He shook his head while tracing the area. 

“Want you.” Steve blinked. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for that to come out. Shit, sorry. I’ll leave.” 

He started to move but stopped when her nose nudged his neck. Steve leaned back on the couch, getting comfortable again. He tilted his head back a little. Steve’s hand that rested on Charlotte's thigh squeezed it tighter as she kissed the spot gently. She dropped her head back against him and he rested his chin on top of her head. 

“I’m scared, Steve,” she whispered. “I don’t know how to do this.” 

“You don’t have to alone.” 

The woman let him tilt her head back without any resistance. Steve’s lips found his target. He kissed the skin slow and sweet. The kisses turned into sucking, not caring— even relishing— at the thought of leaving a hickey. It would have her smelling like him for at least two days. And then he’d be back to mark the spot again a voice in the back of his head growled. He smiled against her neck as Charlotte moaned, a fresh wave of her scent flooding his nose. It spurred him on and he moved to the other side, wanting matching hickeys on her. She stiffened when she felt his teeth graze the skin. 

“Wait, stop.” 

She started to push him away. Steve pulled back, staring at his work before meeting her eyes. 

“I’m not ready. I don’t want to bond yet, not as an Omega. Not yet.” 

Steve moved to Charlotte's lips instead. She kissed back and he moved her off of his lap to lay back on the couch. It felt just like the kiss that the two had after the Battle of New York. Charlotte's fingers wrapped up tightly around the fabric of his shirt. He reached between the two of them, grabbing her hands and pinning Charlotte's wrists above her. Her gasp was swallowed by his mouth on hers. Steve started to grind down on, only stopping when both of them started to pant. 

“Sorry. I’ve got to go, I need to take care of this.” 

“You can find someone if you need to,” she said in a soft voice. 

“Are you sure, sweetheart? I can handle myself, I’ll manage.”

Charlotte nodded. “We aren’t together yet, not until I’m ready to submit. I don’t want to force you to hold back a rut, we all know it’s not as good without another person… just not Sharon?” 

“Not Sharon.” He kissed her lips again. “I’ll find some Beta. I’m going to start taking suppressants, I’ll make the appointment with the doctor.” 

“You don’t have to.” 

“No, I should make my ruts safe to be with you. Shouldn’t run out every time just because we aren’t officially bonded… you like the sound of that?” he asked with a laugh. 

The corners of her mouth had pulled up at the word bonded. Charlotte was still scared but it was somewhat easy to find herself submitting to Steve. He got off of her. 

“What are you going to do while I’m out? You shouldn’t hide in here.” 

Charlotte sighed because he was right. The quickest way to accept the new lifestyle was to get out in the world as the Omega she was. But the woman didn’t want to face the team either. She wasn't ready and not without Steve who would be busy solving his little problem. 

“I think I’ll go to the Botanical Garden, maybe Sam might want to come.” 

“Sounds like a good place to start.” 

Charlotte pulled at her sleeve, looking at the tear stains and dried snot in disgust. 

“I have to change,” she said with a groan. 

She wasn't really feeling like changing again but would be damned if she went out in that top. Steve started to unbutton his shirt until he was in just the t-shirt underneath. He handed it to her as she gave him a side-eye. 

“You’re getting a little attached, Rogers.” 

He pulled Charlotte back into his lap, hands squeezing her waist while his fingers drummed against her body. He buried his nose back in the crook of her neck before kissing the spot some more. 

“Can’t help it,” he mumbled between the kisses. “All those other Alphas need to know they can’t have you. Got a promise that you’re going to be mine, my Omega.” 

Charlotte's heart thumped at him calling her by the dynamic and her mind screamed at him for daring to call her that. Steve finally relented on the kisses. She set the shirt down between the two and went to grab the bottom of the one she was wearing. 

“Don’t look, freaking perv.” 

He chuckled and shut his eyes tightly. Charlotte poked his eye and he scrunched his face up but didn’t open them. She took off the dirtied shirt and changed into Steve’s.

“You can look now.” 

Steve opened his eyes, growling at the sight of her buttoning up the last few buttons. A glimpse of her bra could be seen. His hips bucked up once causing Charlotte to gasp and place her hands on his chest. 

“You did that on purpose, tease. Are you trying to make my rut bad?” 

She smiled and kissed him. It was a small peck. Charlotte wasn't trying to get her smell all over him when he was going to be out looking for someone. Hopping off of him, she went upstairs to grab a bag and text Sam to meet them in the lobby of the building. Steve fought the urge to pull her back to him and just stay with her even if that meant having to fix his rut by himself later. She came back downstairs and he got up to follow her out. When they entered the elevator, he turned to face her. Steve grabbed the sides of her face in both hands and kissed her again. 

“Thank you for letting me into your space. And being your Alpha.” 

Charlotte's eyes fluttered close at his words. Roseanne looked up from the desk where she had been talking to Sam. Their mouths almost dropped open at the newly formed couple standing in front of them. Charlotte was a little more reserved with the new status being so open but Steve was beaming. He drummed his hands on the desk. 

“Rose, any more of my jackets hidden?” 

She nodded and reached out to reveal an armful of outwear. He picked up two of them, sniffing them both and handing the one with the lesser scent to Charlotte. She was already swimming in his scent, the jacket was just extra because he was feeling boastful. He needed his jacket to cover up whatever smell from her kisses might have been on him. 

“You building a little nest back there?” He asked with a chuckle as he handed the jacket to her. “Take care of her, Sam. You two have fun.” 

He pecked Charlotte on the cheek and left without another word. Sam pulled back the collar of the shirt and he and Roseanne sucked their teeth at the two obvious hickeys on either side of the woman's neck. Charlotte's face felt hot as they kept looking. 

“He’s not my Alpha… yet.” 

“Damn, under 24 hours and Cap already laid a claim. You ready to go?” 

She hooked an arm through Sam’s and the two of them left to go on the little outing.


	6. Chapter 6

Not many people were at the Botanical Gardens which is why Charlotte picked it. Just enough people that she didn’t know could see and smell her as an Omega but there weren’t too many people to where she would be overwhelmed. Charlotte and Sam took a detour walk down the butterfly path. A blue butterfly landed on her hand as theu stepped on the path before flying off. 

“Do you want Steve?” Sam asked the question that had been burning in the back of his mind since they entered the lobby. 

“Hmmm?” 

“Do you want Steve? As a bond? I’ll talk to him if you don’t want to, it’s okay to say no. You don’t have to pick him.”

“I want to, I think.” 

“Sorry, Lot, that’s personally not good enough for me.”

Sam let his friend stay quiet while she gathered her thoughts. She placed her arm in the crook of his again as the two walked. Charlotte started to reason her thinking.

“Steve and I liked each other awhile back and then he went to DC and I stayed in New York and we never talked about trying to make something work. Then he went to Sharon and we really didn’t try… there’s always been tension between us but a good kind.”

“Yeah we all feel it any time you two start your stupid Alpha standoff,” Sam said with a laugh that she reciprocated.

“We’re both too stubborn to relent to each other. Maybe we wouldn’t have bonded but a few more years and we’d probably live together, be companions? I can’t walk around unclaimed now unless you’re offering.”

“Love you but not enough to make that grave a decision,” Sam said. 

Charlotte nodded in understanding. “Figured as such but that’s the thing. Steve is. He’s willing to give up a bond for me and I trust him with that.”

“Okay. I can accept that answer.”

She thanked Sam for having her best interest at heart. He always would. Didn’t matter how much of a gentleman Steve was, he was still an unclaimed Alpha and leader of the team. Sam wanted to make sure Charlotte wasn't just going with anything to appease him— especially when as a new Omega he assumed she would submit very easily. 

The two of them finished walking the place when Steve texted Sam that he was back at the tower if Charlotte was ready to face everyone. At her request, Sam texted back to give them a few more hours and then they would head home. Even with him back, Charlotte was still nervous about seeing the others. It didn’t matter how much Sam tried to comfort and reassure her that it would all be fine. After roaming the streets for a bit more, she took a deep breath and decided she was ready to go home. 

The team was in the living room. Since she was an Omega now, Charlotte hadn’t given permission to enter her space and the only people who could freely stroll in were Wanda and Bruce. They thought it might be better anyway to not overwhelm her space with their scent. What they weren’t prepared for was the smell that flooded out the elevator and steamrolled over them. Now that she stood in front of them, everything they prepared to say was gone because all they could focus on was that fact that Charlotte didn’t just smell like new Charlotte but clearly Steve had laid out an intention to claim. 

“Please speak before I start crying again.”

Bruce recovered first. “I explained everything to them and the attempt to find the reversal.”

“Thank you, Bruce.”

“Lot, this doesn’t cha—”

“Don’t lie to me, Nat.”

“Okay. Yeah it changes things. Changes a lot of things but we still love you. It’s not like we’re kicking you out, I mean Bruce and Wanda fight don’t they? We don’t want you to hide it anymore.” 

Nat got up to pull her into a tight embrace. If there had been any doubt her words were sincere, the hug proved them to be true. Charlotte had worried for nothing. Her friends were still her friends. They looked like they wanted to say more but she felt like she couldn’t handle more so she deflected and asked what the movie was for the night. Getting the hint, Wanda said that Charlotte could pick it. When she found out Peter was going to be there, she decided to let the kid pick since he couldn’t always be there for those nights. 

Sam and Bruce watched the battle in Charlotte's head when she entered the movie room. She was fighting instincts to bury herself deep in a beanbag as if it was a little nest. She also didn’t want to curl up next to Steve. No one missed how Charlotte wasn't wearing his clothes anymore but her own. The old Alpha scent now lingered in the air— she wasn't ready to give it up just yet. Steve tried not to let the hurt show that there was still some resistance and rejection. He watched her and waited to see what she was going to do. 

She didn’t make a decision. Instead one was forced upon her. Everyone heard the laughter of Roseanne, Pepper, Maria, and Sharon down the hall. It was never clear when they would join the team for movie nights. The invitation was openly extended to SHIELD employees the team worked closely with but most people never showed up— everyone saying it seemed more like Avenger team bonding and they wouldn’t want to intrude. But occasionally the others would show. 

Maria and Sharon didn’t know. Charlotte wasn't ready to make a formal change in SHIELD until tomorrow at best and reluctantly the end of the week at worst— it was in her file but she had yet to announce it to the entire department. Charlotte scrambled to Steve who pulled her in tightly and tried to bury her smell beneath his. For the most part it worked. His scent, her old Alpha clothes. The new smell could probably be assumed to be some random hookup that someone in the room had just come from being with. Sharon’s jaw set tight when they entered the room. She stood there for a minute, tapping her foot. Normally if she showed up for movie night, Charlotte would make a huge fuss as she moved from Steve to cuddle with Sam instead and Sharon would take her spot. Charlotte stared straight ahead, pretending to be uninterested so she could avoid a standoff that she would lose. 

Just like at the club, Steve could think of only one thing to make the other Alpha back off. Without much thought, he gently knocked his head against Charlotte's jaw. Instinctively, she tilted her head to expose her neck to him— still focused on the TV. Steve smiled at the marks he left earlier that day. Everyone watched as Charlotte did so without thinking, not even aware of what was happening because she was too distracted with the movie starting. It was only when he started to kiss the scent glands attempting to darken the marks already there. She held strong and didn’t melt under his touch. To keep up Alpha appearances, she hit Steve against the chest and he immediately pretended to relent to her and exposed his own neck. 

“Will you two get a fucking room?” Sam added. “Don’t need ruts messing with the movie experience.” 

Sharon huffed and sat down in the beanbag next to Maria. Steve rubbed Charlotte's shoulder and nipped at her ear. 

“Are you okay?” he whispered.

Charlotte nodded. Steve loosened his grip expecting that she wanted to leave now that the situation had been diffused but she only leaned more into his touch. Pleasantly surprised, he smiled and went back to holding her. It was great until it became a little uncomfortable. Ruts and heats lasted about three days, usually the second or third being the highest point of both. He didn’t expect the rut to kick back up so soon, figuring he had the rest of the day before having to leave tomorrow— usually his second day was the worst for him. 

But being close to her, having just asserted dominance, and knowing he had an intention to claim Charlotte was threatening to start him up again. He couldn’t just leave her though. He sucked it up and waited until the movie was over. While Tony was about to put in a second movie, Steve jumped up— effectively making Charlotte jump up with him. A hand rested on her waist and he led the two of them out of the room hoping it just looked like the two were about to solve their ruts. When they reached Charlotte's door, Steve pressed his lips to hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck.

“Can I come in?” 

“You don’t have to ask me every time, Steve. I’m giving you permission to come in whenever you want.” 

That brought butterflies to his stomach. He kissed the space between her eyebrows and opened the door to guide her in. He didn’t move past the little foyer area with the shoes, knowing he wasn’t staying long. He just wanted to see her go inside. Charlotte didn’t get very far before he pulled her back to him. 

“I’ve got to go, I’m sorry.” 

“It’s okay.”

“Tomorrow morning, I’m getting the prescription. Seriously.” 

Steve reluctantly let go of her and walked out to go solve his problem. Now that he was gone, she actually missed him. Everyone else accepted the new dynamic so easily, maybe she could as well. It was getting hard anyway to keep up the Alpha appearance she had been doing all last month. 

Charlotte grabbed a glass from the cabinet and filled it up with water. Leaning against the counter, she took long sips of the water while thinking it through. It was hard dealing with the clashing Alpha and Omega thoughts. The Alpha instincts weren’t ready to give up or relent and the Omega instincts were simply not strong enough to make them submit. She still wasn't sure. But the one thing she was sure about was that she wanted out of her clothes and into Steve’s. Charlotte finished the glass of water and left her room to go take some of his clothes. She rifled through his stuff finding what she wanted. Steve had a tendency to dress in a mixture of his old 40’s style and a present-day substitute teacher. She eventually found some things she liked. Charlotte changed into his briefs and sweater. Scooping up the small pile of his clothes, she returned to her room content with the new stash. The clothes dropped from her hand as she entered the room. 

“What are you doing in here?” she asked Sharon who was sitting on the couch. 

Charlotte tried not to shake at the notion that she was in her space uninvited. The Alpha part of her was shaking from anger that she would dare and the Omega instincts were shaking from fear at an unclaimed Alpha being in a space Charlotte didn’t grant them access to. 

“When did you and S— is that his stuff?” She looked at the pile now on the floor. “What’s that smell?” 

“Get out.” 

Charlotte scooped up the clothes and dumped them on the couch, needing her to leave. Sharon was still there when the woman turned around. Her nose was in the air, trying to figure out what she couldn’t identify. The sniffing stopped and her eyes narrowed at Charlotte. Her scent from her being there for so long was now all over the room and upsetting the new Omega. It only became more unbearable as Sharon walked up to her. 

“Get out.” 

“You sm—”

“Get out.” Charlotte pushed her. “Get the fuck out! I didn’t give you permission to be here!” 

Charlotte went to push her again when Sharon grabbed her hands. She was snarling and despite an initial growl back, Charlotte gave up quicker than ever. Sharon’s eyes flitted to the pile of Steve’s clothes on the couch and then the two marks on Charlotte's neck. She started laughing. 

“What sort of joke is this, couldn’t take the competition? Can’t win against another Alpha? You had to bag him by bending down and submitting like some little Omega bitch—”

Sharon was in stunned silence at the fact that Charlotte had just hit her. She was visibly shaking now. It wasn’t her intention to hit Charlotte, the Alpha memory overrode any good consciousness she had. The accusation drove her mad. It would have been fine if she was still the Alpha she was supposed to be. But even if Sharon couldn’t smell it on her, it was all over Charlotte's room. And the reaction gave everything away. It wasn’t a game— Sharon wasn’t sure how but it was completely real. 

“Don’t you dare touch me like that again, _Omega_ ,” Sharon spat.

“I’m sorry… can you please leave?” 

Sharon stormed out of the room, the door slamming shut behind her. Charlotte grabbed the pile of clothes and ran upstairs to the sleeping area. The invading of Sharon’s stench downstairs coupled with the incident that just happened was too much to deal with. She passed out on the bed, not even bothering to put up the pile of clothes. She didn’t have to tell FRIDAY to lock the door, the AI informed her that she did anyway. 

Steve came back, ready to absolutely shower Charlotte in kisses. He turned the doorknob only for the door not to open. FRIDAY didn’t answer when he asked so Steve dropped it and went back to his own room. A smile graced his face as her scent slipped past his nose. The first thing he did was go to his closet to see if she had taken anything— content to find a few empty hangers.

* * *

Charlotte tentatively walked downstairs for breakfast. The rest of the team was down— minus Clint and Vision but with the addition of Peter and Thor. While they accepted the new dynamic with absolutely no qualms, the new scent was something everyone still needed time to adjust to. 

Naturally, the seat by Steve was empty. Until the two actually bonded, everyone expected that they would want to be in close proximity to each other as much as possible. Charlotte was glad nothing seemed to have changed. Not that she expected much to. Inside the residential area of the tower, they were rarely in situations that demanded the hierarchy of dynamics. Charlotte dug into the bowl of cereal, stealing bacon off of Steve’s plate. He playfully glared at her but did nothing as she ate it right in his face. 

The rest of the team wouldn’t verbally say it but they thought this might have been the best thing for the two in front of them. The two had both gone around unclaimed for so long, uptight and stubborn. The team had been waiting for one of them to pull their head from their ass because it was clear that the only two people that could really handle the two of them were, in fact, the two of them.

Charlotte tensed up when the elevator dinged and Sharon’s presence was known. The team wasn’t excited for whatever was about to ensue, expecting Sharon and Steve to be at each other’s throats. They looked on confused when instead of yelling at Steve, Sharon took the seat right across from him and said nothing. She just stared at Charlotte while she kept her head down and focused on the bowl of cereal. She finally turned her attention to Steve. 

“ _Your Omega_ ,” Sharon started with venom. 

Steve snarled at the way she said it but it didn’t phase the woman. 

“Your Omega hit me last night.” 

The room got quiet. Charlotte couldn’t even take a bite of food, just clutched the spoon tightly. Steve’s jaw clenched. Charlotte stared at a spot on the table and cursed Sharon out in your head. She should have known she wouldn’t keep silent. She was hoping that maybe Sharon would drop it or resolved herself to the woman holding it over her head and using it as blackmail. She should have known she would tell everyone. 

“I don’t think anyone here needs a reminder that an Omega hitting an Alpha is a punishable offense. I thought you should know, keep her in check.” 

“Let it go, Sharon,” Steve said, making her scoff. 

“Let it go? She hit me without a care in the world. I’m giving you the opportunity to deal with it since you seem hellbent on bonding with her. Or I could? As the Alpha who was assaulted, I’m at liberty to punish her myself. But I don’t know how kind I’ll be.” 

Steve growled as he grabbed Charlotte's wrist and aggressively yanked her from the table. His grumbling could be heard the whole way to the stairs. The team looked at Sharon, a few of them letting her have some choice words about her actions. 

Charlotte was practically being dragged up the stairs by Steve. To say she was nervous was an understatement, she was the only Alpha on the team that never dished out a punishment before and now she was suddenly on the other end of it. Most Alphas went with the standard spanking, usually twenty-five as the lowest bar, more sadistic ones took to extreme ones. If left to Sharon, Charlotte was scared it would have been a sadistic one. She had watched punishments of course— usually an Omega that lipped off to her was in a group setting and someone else did the job instead of her.

She was trying to talk and say what happened but Steve didn’t hear over his own complaining. He didn’t stop when the two of them reached her room. Instead, he marched all the way up the stairs to her sleeping area. Sitting down on the bed, he yanked her leggings down and pulled her over his lap. A mix of emotions radiated off of him. 

“Twenty-five, okay.” 

She didn’t get a chance to respond before the first smack hit her bottom. Steve was counting for her in between grumbles that he couldn’t believe he had to do this. Charlotte wasn't sure how Omegas dealt with it. She had asked Bruce and Wanda about it once and they said it wasn’t so bad but right now she was only on eleven and it was moving past stinging territory and starting to burn.

“Wait, wait.” 

She tried to block her butt with her hands but they were quickly pushed away. 

“Halfway done.” He continued 

“Steve,” she gasped through the next smack. “Sharon wa—”

“Just had to go and fucking rile her up and hit her. Can’t be such a headass anymore, got that Omega… Ow, what the hell?!” 

Steve’s grip let go of her and she scrambled off of him. He looked at where heat marks in the shape of her hands were on his thighs. Charlotte wiggled the leggings back up over her butt. It was too much, the Alpha memory taking over the minute he called her by the dynamic. Steve looked over at her. His face morphing immediately into concern at Charlotte's hands held up in front of her, the palms burning red. 

“You can’t do that! I’m not used to being an Omega. I told her I was sorry, I didn’t mean to. She was in my space and wouldn’t leave. I told her I was sorry!” she yelled. 

“Charlie…”

“I don’t want you in my space anymore.” 

Charlotte raced down the stairs and out the door of her room before Steve could take another step towards her. She anxiously pressed the elevator door button, waiting for it. Steve walked out the room and could see her pressing the button repeatedly while asking FRIDAY where Happy was. The elevator finally appeared and she got in before Steve could reach her. He went to take the stairs instead. 

“Back up, Cap,” Happy said when Steve reached him. 

“Let me talk to her.” 

Charlotte was standing right behind Happy, the bodyguard doing his job well. She shook her head and that was enough for Happy to stand firm with his arms crossed. Steve backed off without even challenging. He stood aside and watched Happy lead Charlotte down the stairs to who knows where. A growl ripped through his throat. When he emerged from the elevator, the absolute stench from his anger actually frightened the rest of the team that had been trying to finish breakfast. 

“SHARON!” He yelled before he reached the table. 


	7. Chapter 7

In a matter of seconds, Sharon was pressed up against the wall. No one else on the team moved. It was rare that Steve went into full Alpha mode— the last time Nat could remember was when they were fighting Ultron. It was a scary reminder how dominant he could really be. 

“Don’t you ever, ever enter her room again without her permission.” 

“I didn’t know she wasn’t an Alpha when I got there.” 

Steve pressed her further into the wall. “And the minute you found out you should’ve left like she asked. You deserved whatever she did to you.” 

His attention was drawn elsewhere when the elevator dinged. Happy stepped into the room, Charlotte was nowhere in sight. Steve dropped Sharon and walked up to the large bodyguard. 

“Where is she?”

“She doesn’t want to see you, Cap.” 

“Please, Happy.” 

The man sighed and told him she was with Roseanne. The secretary took the rest of the day off to hang out with her and she would be staying over at her place for the night. He had come back to get her stuff and would drop it off later that night. Steve offered to take his place. 

“Be my guest, but don’t be upset if she doesn’t want to talk to you.” 

Happy walked off to pack a bag for Charlotte. Steve swallowed as he watched Happy, now the only person with permission to enter her room, disappear. Sharon started to leave and Steve grabbed her elbow. 

“I don’t want to hear again from my Omega that you messed with her. Are we understood?” 

She pulled herself from his grasp and went back downstairs to finish her own work before leaving for the mission she was scheduled to go on. Steve could do nothing but pace in his room, waiting for night to fall so he could drop off Charlotte's bag to Roseanne’s house. He eventually stopped pacing, thinking he might walk through the floor if he did. Steve flopped onto the bed, reliving the earlier events. He should have paid attention more. 

Charlotte wasn't blocking him to try to worm her way out punishment. It was because she became overwhelmed. There was still Alpha in her, those old cells took a while to die off. And she would always have her memories. He should have taken it slower and he knew he messed up. If he had heard her talking as they headed up the stairs, he wouldn’t have even started the punishment in the first place. Finding out an Alpha was in her space without permission made him pissed beyond belief. 

* * *

“You don’t remember me?” Charlotte asked as the waitress poured coffee for her and Roseanne. 

“Sor— Charlotte? Oh my goodness! Sorry, the smell is different. Wait why do you smell like…” she faltered off and the woman laughed. 

The diner wasn’t busy, Charlotte and Roseanne had come in while the lunch rush was ending. The secretary had taken her friend to the mall but they both only had one measly bag to show for the many hours they had spent in the stores. There were also other staff members to take care of customers. Charlotte moved over so the waitress had a place to sit. She rubbed her shoulder gingerly as she and Roseanne explained everything that happened. 

“I can’t imagine if my dynamic switched suddenly.”

“What’s it like?” 

“Being at the bottom?” She pulled at her uniform. “Sucks like hell sometimes. You just have to keep yourself in good places and you would never notice.”

The waitress hopped back up as her manager came from the back room. She gave a cheeky smile to the two as she tapped the table with her notepad. 

“Food’s on me. Not just for saving my life, you seem like you need it.” 

Charlotte thanked her before she and Roseanne left to get in her car and drive to her apartment. New York City was expensive and even with a good job at SHIELD, Roseanne still wasn’t living the life of luxury. Not the same way Tony and the rest of the team did. Charlotte wasn't complaining though. The couch was better than staying anywhere in the tower. 

The day melted into night. Roseanne offered to give Charlotte some of her clothes which she accepted and went to go take a shower. She was hoping Happy didn’t forget her bag. There was no way of contacting him either— Charlotte left her phone when she had run out of the room. Clean and tired, she grabbed a few pillows and began to tuck one of the bedsheets into the couch to make a makeshift bed. She ignored the knocking at the door. It was Roseanne’s house, her guest. Her feet raced to the door to open it. 

“What do you want?” The Beta asked with venom. 

“Let me in, Roseanne.”

Charlotte froze at the voice. It was obviously Steve. 

“She doesn’t want to see you.” 

“Damn it, Rose, please.” 

She looked back at her friend— Steve also taking the opportunity to look. Charlotte was still as a marble statue as she sat on the couch. Staring straight ahead, she made no indicator of yes or no. Roseanne opened the door wider. 

“You have five minutes then get out.” 

“Thank you. Doll? I brought your stuff.” 

She didn’t respond. Steve just set the bag down on the couch. He sat on the floor in front of her. He knew he had to speak because she probably wouldn’t and Roseanne seemed like she was going to enforce the five minute rule rather strictly. 

“I’m here to apologize. Seriously, Charlotte.”

“You already forgot I was an Alpha.” Charlotte drew her knees up to her chest. “I’ve never had a punishment before and you still went full out. I’m not used to this life.” 

“I should have known to take it slower. That’s my fault and my fault only.” 

She nodded in agreement. Steve wanted to reach out and touch her but thought better of it. There was nothing else to say and Charlotte wasn't coming home with him that night. He wasn’t going to wait for Roseanne to kick him out, he knew when to make an exit. Apologizing one more time, Steve got up from the floor and left. He waited outside the door for a couple minutes in hopes that Charlotte would run out but when that didn’t happen he hung his head low and started his motorcycle to head home. 

He heard her come home in the late afternoon the next day, staying in his room as her feet shuffled past his door. His ears perked up when the shuffling came back and then stopped. It felt like eternities and then a sound he desperately wanted to hear came from the other side of the door. 

“Steve?” Charlotte asked.

Steve shot straight out of bed and to the door. He opened the door and had to restrain himself from reaching out to touch or kiss her. She stood in front of him, unsure of what she wanted to say or why she was even there. Charlotte was also unsure of why he was shirtless. Steve stayed quiet, watching her eyes close and then open again. 

“I understand that the entire team has accepted the new dynamic but it’s still hard for me. I still have Al— those old memories and feelings. I’m not meaning to mess up or try to force the old dynamic. You guys have to be aware of that and take it slow when I do something I’m used to. I’m trying, I really am. I need you to understand me.” 

Steve nodded. “I do. I promise you, I understand.” 

“What are you doing right now?”

“Nothing, just came from filing a mission report. Was thinking about ordering in, maybe hit the gym.”

That explained the lack of a shirt. 

“You don’t stop training, do you,” she said with a chuckle. 

Steve smiled. “Have to stay in shape.” 

“As if you need it… do you want to just stay in, Alpha?” she asked, gently. 

Charlotte had never called him by his presentation ever since becoming an Omega. Steve stuttered through a yes and moved aside so she could step in. She rested her head on Steve’s chest. He moved to place her completely on top of him. It was calming like gentle waves— the scent of Steve. 

He was content to lay there and just listen to Charlotte's heartbeat that was slightly slower in rhythm than his was. She lifted her head to look at him. Steve opened his mouth to say something when Charlotte's lips found his neck. Instead of words, a low moan came out. She kissed and nibbled on the left side before moving to the right. It didn’t take much effort to leave hickeys on his pale skin. Charlotte sat up and looked at her work. Steve rubbed circles on her waist, enjoying the lazy smile on her face. 

“Can I…” her voice faded off. This was the first time she was asking and couldn’t seem to get the words out. 

“Can you what?”

He probably shouldn’t have taunted but the way Charlotte looked everywhere but him made him want to tease her some more. He was hoping she would ask what he wanted but needed to hear it come from her mouth. Her fingers pushed at his neck but Steve just shook his head. 

“Not good enough, want to hear you say it. Can you what, Omega?” 

“Can I claim you… please?” 

She wasn't looking at him as she asked, focusing on her nails splayed out against his chest instead. It drove him insane. Charlotte always drove him crazy even when she was an Alpha. Steve could think of a few times in the past that he wanted to be in this exact situation. The first time was after the Battle of New York. The two of them had kissed in the heat of the moment, excitement from winning, and it felt right. Then Charlotte sat on his lap when they were all eating shawarma and threatened Tony that she would melt his Iron Man suit. 

That’s when he knew he liked her, the only Alpha he ever liked that way— just as stubborn as him but also just as righteous, maybe even more so. But he wasn’t ready for a bond. He wanted to and even told her but felt too out of time. He was still getting used to the modern world. With a wink and a smile, Charlotte said he couldn’t count on her to wait for him but that she might. And then she stole his jacket— he realized he liked her wrapped in his clothes, a temporary claim of sorts even if it was only in his mind. 

The second time was when she helped him find Bucky. Without hesitation, because Steve and Nat trusted Barnes, Charlotte began searching for the man that dumped Steve on the riverbank. She worked tirelessly to bring his friend home and somehow succeeded. And then Bucky went on a covert solo mission and was accused of blowing up the UN meeting in Vienna. Charlotte believed Bucky when he said he didn’t do it even when no one else did because a covert mission meant they weren’t tracking his whereabouts. 

After the fight in the airport, when she told him she would stay behind to clear their name while he and Bucky fled to Siberia and did what they needed to do. He wanted her to come with them— that was one of the few times Charlotte had ever won a standoff against him. Then he wanted to bond as a promise that he would come back because for a moment he wasn’t sure that he would. 

The third time was in the alleyway before he knew she wasn't an Alpha anymore. The way she was willing to put herself in potential danger to save an Omega waitress she had only known for five hours. Twice as righteous. And refused to let him scent her until he threatened a standoff. Just as stubborn. He was so close to her. His lips on her skin, no matter how soft, felt like they should be there. 

And now the two were there. They were actually going to go through with something he had been fantasizing for some time about. She was on top of him begging to claim him. The funny part was Charlotte didn’t have to. The first face he saw when he thawed from ice— she had a claim on him from the beginning. Steve tilted her chin up with his index finger until she wasn't focused on his pecs anymore but looking him in the eye. 

“Of course you can.” 

She leaned back down to suck harshly on the hickeys that were already there. Her teeth grazed his skin, hesitantly. Even when she was an Alpha, Charlotte had never gotten this close to bonding with someone before. Another reassurance from Steve and she bit down on the gland right beneath the skin. He hissed slightly as her bite broke the very surface of his skin— the bite a lot more shallow as an Omega. 

He sucked in a breath at her lips unexpectedly on his. She wanted a kiss before she did the other side. Steve tilted his head back more, eyes closed in pure bliss. Charlotte worked carefully on the other side, wanting to prolong the moment. It was intimate. A claiming before ever sleeping with each other. If he wasn’t enjoying it so much he would have commented on how old-fashioned this was even for someone like him from a different time. 

“Now me?” 

Steve’s eyes snapped open. He sat up abruptly, his arms having to catch Charlotte and hold her from sliding off of him. Her eyes widened in fear that she had just ruined everything. Steve rubbed a thumb over her cheekbone and then played with her hair— careful not to mess it up or try to run his fingers through it— to reassure her. 

“Are you sure? We can wait, no press—”

“I want to. I want everyone to know.”

“You want everyone to know I’m your Alpha, yeah? Want them to know you’re my Omega?” 

Charlotte nodded with determination. “All yours.” 

“It’s going to hurt a bit,” Steve warned. 

“I trust you.” 

Steve tilted her head back. He wasn’t joking when he said it would hurt. The force of the bite brought tears to Charlotte's eyes. Without meaning to, her palms heated up at the feeling. Steve didn’t mind. He even relished in the burn a little bit as he went to the other side. He could feel the tears drip off of her chin and hurried the process along, licking at the wounds. His lips met hers and he wiped away the tears with his hands. 

“You did so good for me… I love you.” 

Charlotte looked Steve in the eye. It wasn’t in the heat of the moment. His face read the same seriousness as if he was going over a mission with the team. She kissed him once more and his favorite smile of hers, the blissful and lazy one, returned to the woman's face. 

“I love you too.” 

Steve threw himself back down on the bed and the two of them returned to the relaxation before anything had happened. This was right. Steve knew it was right and his only regret was that he hadn’t bonded with Charlotte sooner. But none of that mattered anymore because she was in his arms anyway. No matter what mission came next no matter who crossed him, he had her to come back to and that was good enough. 


	8. Chapter 8

Charlotte had fallen asleep on Steve’s chest. He carefully moved her off of him and got up to get food, knowing she just wanted to stay in. It was a toss up between ordering takeout or cooking. Traditional values won out— it might not have been sex, but claiming was intimate and that called for some homecooked food as part of the tender aftercare. 

The clatter of pots and pans was so loud that for a moment Steve was worried it would reach their floor and wake Charlotte up. While it didn’t wake her up, it did garner the attention of Bucky and Sam who were coming back from hanging out with each other. Steve heard them come in but was too focused to say a word. The other two men watched him with amused half smiles as they leaned against the counter. 

“Steve making more than a grilled cheese and not burning down the kitchen? What has the world come to?” Bucky joked. 

“I know this scene. No shirt, back muscles in full concentration, not bothered to tell us to shut up… Who’s the woman that put it down so good you got up to cook?” Sam piggybacked off of Bucky without missing a beat, knowing exactly who they were talking about.

Both men laughed at their own comments while Steve rolled his eyes and took the rice off of the stove to drain it. The laughing stopped right away. They were staring at the two hickeys on his neck, already staring to darken. As if they didn’t want to know, Bucky and Sam took very shallow sniffs of the air. Charlotte's scent was there. And not just there on top of Steve’s scent, but mixed in with it— so subtle you wouldn’t know it was there until you sniffed for it. The telltale sign of a bond. Steve watched the water drain from the pot. 

“Do you think it matters the rice is fresh? The recipe said it doesn’t fry as well,” Steve said as he started spreading the rice out to try and dry it. 

“You know you could have done that in the rice cooker.”

“There’s a rice cooker?”

“Lot keeps it on the top shelf, fourth cabinet. We also already have leftover rice.”

Steve gave Sam a questioning look and opened the fridge door. Sam’s eyes scanned the fridge until they found their target. He pointed to the large round grey-brown container. Steve held it up. 

“This is butter.” 

“Open it,” Sam said with a knowing look on his face. 

Steve, even though he thought it was dumb, opened the container anyway. He blinked twice as if the rice would suddenly turn into butter. Looking back at the container, it was clearly labeled that it once held butter at some point. He took out the rice and placed it in the stir-fry pan before dumping the fresh rice into the butter container. 

“We didn’t sleep together if that’s what you two are waiting for,” he said as he started the stove once again and poured some soy sauce over the rice. 

That made Bucky and Sam surprised once again. Bonding before sex wasn’t the most common practice in modern times. 

“So you’re really Charlotte’s Alpha now?” Bucky asked. 

The smile that took up the bottom half of Steve’s face was answer enough for them. He finished divvying out the rice, leaving the rest for his two friends. Grabbing water bottles and juice, Steve tucked the drinks under his arm and grabbed the bowls to head back to his room. 

“If you two excuse me, I’ve got to go take care of my Omega.” 

Bucky and Sam watched the man walk off with a pep in his step. Steve chuckled as he entered his room. Charlotte had turned onto her stomach— he could see her eyes were still closed— one hand blindly reaching around trying to find him. All her fingers were met with were empty sheets. The woman scrunched up the sheets before lifting her head, eyes still closed with a frown on her face. The clinking of bowls on the nightstand and the smell of stir-fry made Charlotte slowly open one eye. Both opened when she saw the food and Steve standing next to it. 

“You cooked for me, Alpha?” she asked with a stretch and a groan. 

Steve moved back on the bed and settled himself over her, using his arms to prop himself up. He pecked Charlotte's lips once before going in for a deeper kiss. He could hear her call him by his presentation all day long. It was easy with Steve. Calling him by the presentation was like saying her own name, simple and rolling off the tongue with no problem. Getting off Charlotte, Steve let her sit up and handed her the fried rice. 

He glanced up from his own bowl every now and then to look at her eating. Reaching out, Steve traced his thumb over her lower jaw. She looked up at him, batting eyelashes that made Steve want to pin her to the bed. 

“I want to take you out tonight.”

“Steve, we don’t have to do anything special.” 

“No, no I want to. In my day, that’s how we did it. Alphas always took an Omega on a date before we tried to claim them… we did it a little backwards but I still want to.” 

“Okay. What do you want to do? We kind of ate already.” 

Charlotte chuckled and Steve’s face tinged with red. He was doing everything in the wrong order. Even though it was just Charlotte, he was suddenly nervous— it was like meeting her for the first time all over again. He willed away the stray nerves and thought about how to take her out properly. Food was out of the question, so were arcades and laser tag— the Avengers got banned from most of them in the city on account of being too competitive. Movies were something the team did every night, not special enough. 

“Meet me downstairs in ten minutes.” 

“What are we doing? Steve?” 

He wouldn’t answer. He simply got up and went to put on real clothes. Charlotte watched him for a moment. Steve was aware as he felt her eyes boring holes into his back. With a smirk, he flexed his muscles as he dug through the cabinets for a shirt. She pushed the comforter off of her and rushed to her room to change. 

When she met Steve downstairs, he was leaning against his motorcycle with an extra helmet in his hand. He put it on, making sure it was secure. The motorcycle roared to life and was off without a hitch the minute Steve felt Charlotte's arms wrapped around him. The drive was fast and quiet until they found themselves at the pier. Not many people were around. Charlotte took Steve’s hand in hers and the two began to walk around. As they turned down a path, they spotted a small sand volleyball pit— an abandoned ball right under the net. 

“Want to play?” 

Charlotte didn’t really give Steve a chance to say yes or no as she pulled him towards the net. Ever the gentleman, he let her serve first. Laughs rang out as Charlotte and Steve dove for the ball, messed up serves, and tried to take out the other with way too aggressive spikes. He ducked quickly, incredulity all over his face, as he stared at the burnt ball behind him. 

“I can’t believe you set it on fire!” 

Charlotte's nose scrunched up in laughter. Steve ducked under the net and she started to run. The other Avenger was no match for the supersoldier when he really tried. Effortlessly, Steve caught up to her and scooped her into his arms. Charlotte was spun around before being set down on the ground. Time stopped momentarily as the two of them looked at each other. They were both hyperaware of everything. 

Charlotte could feel every tingle from where Steve’s fingers tapped against her waist. He could feel the weight of her hands locked around the back of his neck and the warmth of her breath as she breathed out to calm herself. Charlotte was wondering if he could hear her heart pounding— Steve most definitely could. It wasn’t clear who bridged the gap first. But once they were on each other, it was a clash of lips and teeth. The only thing keeping them from tearing each other’s clothes off was the fact they were out in public. Steve gripped Charlotte tighter as she tried to pull his body closer despite the fact that they were already flush against each other. When they pulled away to breathe, the air was silent but charged. Laughter broke the quiet along with a quick peck. 

“Do you want to take this home?” 

The couple couldn’t get to the motorcycle fast enough. The residential floor was surprisingly empty, not that Charlotte or Steve were complaining. Now, there was no one to ignore as they made the way to their floor with hushed giggles and heavy petting. He tried to open his room door as he had Charlotte's body pressed against it, finally relenting in his touches to actually get it open. 

Outer layers were shed quickly. Charlotte had seen Steve shirtless plenty of times, had even seen his boxers the few times he strolled into the kitchen without wearing any pants. But he had never seen her in underwear. Well, not lacy underwear— only the black sports bras and briefs when she had to shed her suit to get an injury fixed. He took his time and let his eyes roam her entire body. Charlotte got tired of him trying to savor the moment and practically launched herself at him to bring his lips to hers. 

The kiss became slower as the two got closer to the bed. Everything became slower. As Alphas, Charlotte and Steve had similar styles when it came to sex. With most people, it was fast and for relief. That wasn’t what either of them wanted, not in that moment. There would be plenty of times for that later. It was intimate, both of them determined to memorize every part of each other. They came down from the highs and stayed connected for a few minutes— Steve resting on top of Charlotte felt like a weighted blanket. He kissed the spot between her eyebrows before pulling out and rolling off of her. His hand brushed her fingers as she started to get up. 

“You took care of me earlier, let me take care of you.” 

He let her go get a towel from his bathroom. He went from a small side smile to a smirk as he watched Charlotte walk away with a little limp in her gait. The water for the tub started to run. Steve made himself useful and went to change the seats while she prepared the bath. After cleaning herself up, Charlotte wiped down Steve and discarded the washcloth somewhere in the room. The water was filled a little too high, splashing over the sides when both of them settled in the tub. 

“I want you to move in with me,” Steve said as he got out. 

He grabbed the largest, fluffiest towel he owned— stolen from Charlotte's linen closet— and wrapped her in it. Her faced was smothered in it as he dried the woman off. Steve laughed when her head popped up from under the fabric with her face scrunched up. 

“What’s that face for?” 

“I have the duplex suite.”

“Yeah, why is that?”

“Tony likes me better, Capsicle.”

Steve groaned at the name, barely tolerating when Tony called him that. Charlotte stuck her tongue out before her lips curled up into a devilish smile. She wrapped the towel tightly around her, tucking the ends in so it would stay up. 

“I think we should have Fury change your name to Capsicle. Let’s go ask him.” 

Before Steve could process, the Omega was out the door. Steve had to grab a towel, giving her a headstart. He heard her feet scramble down the stairs. The team heard the laughter before they saw the couple. Everyone’s heads turned to see Charlotte's towel get pulled back by Steve and she returned to his arms. The sight was sweet to them, especially Charlotte looking truly happy for the first time since they had learned about the dynamic change. 

“We could have our own little apartment since we can’t just leave the tower if we take the duplex,” Charlotte whispered. 

“Doll. As long as you’re in my bed I don’t really care which room we’re in.”

Before the two could kiss again and put on a show for the team, the elevator dinged. No one would dare come up to the residential suites so late except for two people— Nick and Sharon. And those were the exact two people that entered. The tick of Sharon’s jaw wasn’t missed as she spotted Charlotte and Steve behind the couches in just their towels but she didn’t say anything. 

“Sorry to interrupt the relaxation,” Nick said as if nothing was out of the ordinary. 

“No you’re not,” Tony said which earned him an elbow to the rib by Nat. 

“Anyway, you all have a mission. It’s going to take all night to get there. You guys leave now. Hill is loading the quinjet with coordinates, meet her in five at the helipad. And if King and Captain Rogers want to find some clothes, that would be be appreciated.” 

He turned and exited without another word. Sharon dropped the files on the table and waited on the couch while the team left to go change.


	9. Chapter 9

The quinjet got quiet as the night grew. The flight was long and eventually Tony and Sam switched to autopilot knowing that FRIDAY would alert them if anything went wrong. It was never fun sleeping in the quinjet. The choices were to contort your body into the oversized chairs, try to sleep on the benches, or give up and take the cold floor. A lot of the team chose the floor usually— Charlotte, Peter, and Clint tended to go for the chairs. Nat sorted through the parachute bags and pulled blankets from the benches to hand out to everyone. 

“Tony is there anyway to make this place warmer?” Sharon asked, teeth chattering loudly.

“We’re flying over mountains, this is the best it’s going to get.” 

Charlotte unfurled herself from the chair. The team’s heads snapped up from where they had been laying down to watch her walk to Sharon and place the blanket over her. She looked up at Charlotte, muttering a sincere thank you and pulling the blanket up under her chin. The co-pilot seat was not the warmest, being near the windows, but Charlotte wasn't shivering as bad as Sharon had been. Training her laser powers, that was first on Charlotte's agenda when they got back to the tower. She could heat up her hands but the minute her eyes started to close the heat slipped away. 

It was better to get sleep than struggle for warmth so Charlotte gave up on trying to use her powers. Her eyes weren’t shut for long when she felt herself lifted from the chair. Steve settled himself in the chair and wrapped the blanket around both of them. He shifted a few times, making Charlotte look up at him. 

“Now I know why I never sleep on these,” he muttered. 

“If it’s uncomfortable, go back to the bench.”

“You were cold,” Steve replied like it was obvious. 

He shifted again and Charlotte watched his eyes close. With one more shift, Steve’s face finally relaxed completely. Charlotte looked out the window to see nothing but a black sky and then looked back at his sleeping form. Kissing his jaw, she rested her head against him and pushed the fallen bit of blanket back over his shoulder.

“You’re a good guy, Steve. I’m glad you’re my Alpha,” she whispered. 

It wasn’t something the woman would have admitted while he was awake. She would probably never be willing to admit it while he was awake. But Charlotte felt like it needed to be said out loud even if Steve would never hear it. Sam, who was sitting in the pilot seat, and Bucky, on the floor right in front of him, had heard her though. They looked at each other with a smile. 

The sunlight hit Charlotte's face as the quinjet passed over the forest. She hopped off of Steve and stretched before turning off the autopilot and taking over. The descent was easy as she lowered the jet into the woods. Tony scanned the area, deeming it safe for everyone to pile out and start the walk towards the hotel in the city. 

Bags were barely set down before they all split up to start scouting and set up. The big ball was in ten days. The team wanted the mission over in eight to avoid having to go— civilians would be mixed in with the bad guys and that wasn’t ideal. Charlotte went with Bucky to set up his snipers. This mission called for him to use his skills from the war. Instead of fighting on the frontline like the rest of them, the thought was if Bucky could snipe off a few targets with Clint then they would all be good. 

“I heard you last night,” Bucky said as Charlotte handed him one of his snipers. 

She didn’t know what to say as the heat rushed to her face. Staying silent, she set up the next one. Bucky stopped messing with the gun to give his friend a side-eye. With a chuckle, he finished setting up the first sniper and got up so they could leave and move to the second building. 

“You’re good, Lot. Not just a good person, good for Steve. I’ve only ever seen him act the way he does with one other person before and that was Peggy. I know this whole thing has been hard on you but you two complement each other. Really.” 

“Thanks, Buck.”

“He was supposed to bond with her.” 

That made the woman stop in her tracks. Bucky looked behind to see Charlotte had stopped for a moment. He chuckled and waited for her feet to catch up to him. 

“Had it all planned out, before I fell from the train. And then his plane crashed. I don’t think the punk ever thought he’d get the chance again.” 

The two finished setting up the snipers and went to reconvene with the others. The rush of the big city was a perfect disguise for everyone. It had allowed the spies to easily scope the area and kept a crowd that no one noticed them. Charlotte and Peter sat in the middle of the bus as it approached its seventh stop since they had gotten on. Their target had gotten on. The two would follow him to his destination— Nat had been stalking his route for the past four days. Before he could go into the secret entrance, Bucky would snipe him. Then Charlotte and Peter would swipe his badge and hide the body before it could be seen. 

The ride was long— the man’s partner had gotten on about three stops ago and joined him. When the man’s fingers finally moved to hit one of the stop buttons littered around the bus, Charlotte slipped the collapsible bo staff from her purse and into her hand. The staff heated up in her hand and she was careful not to press the button that extended it, not trying to burn a hole through the bus or Peter. 

Despite the crowd getting off at the same stop, they kept close eyes on the man. Charlotte's fists were clenched tight to avoid burning anyone as she and Peter were jostled around by the crowd trying to get off. She hissed slightly as she felt her hand get pinched between the seat and the person behind her. Charlotte whipped her head back. Just because it was a crowd didn’t mean they had to be rude. 

“Watch it, Omega,” the man growled at her. 

If it wasn’t a mission, she probably would have shrunk under the authoritative command. It was the first time since being open as her presentation that she had been treated as such and it was off-putting. Charlotte turned back around and quickly followed Peter out the bus. There wasn’t a sign from Bucky. The sign was the dead body as the man dropped after a single shot. She and Peter rushed to move the body farther into the alley. 

The staff extended as Charlotte spun it around to burn the face of the agent closest to her. Between her and Peter, they didn’t stand much of a chance. Bucky had gotten in a few shots before he had to move to his next building to keep the mission and targets on schedule. They looked around to see the street littered with agents on the ground but no one else attacking. No one on the street noticed as Peter pulled the badge off of the man. Charlotte stopped heating up her palms and threw the staff into her free hand to start cooling it down. 

“Oh,” she muttered, causing Peter to look at her. 

“What’s going on?” Sam’s voice sounded through the comms. 

“I got cut, it must have happened on the bus… I can’t feel my hand.” 

With the heat gone, Charlotte noticed the tingly sensation wasn’t from her powers but from whatever purple liquid she was watching soak into her cuts. She stumbled back, barely hearing Peter talk to her as he tried to catch the woman. She also couldn’t hear what everyone was saying through the comms. The last thing Charlotte felt was one of Peter’s web shooters catch her before she had hit the ground. 

Peter panicked as he carried her back to the hotel. The rest of the team had to finish the mission but the minute they did, they rushed back to the room. They raced in to see Charlotte in a fluffy hotel robe and sipping on a large water while she waited for room service to come up. Steve peppered her in kisses and wouldn’t let up until she started to complain and tried to dodge him. 

“Stevie,” Charlotte said through chuckles. “Stevie, Steve. Alpha.”

He let up finally so she could address the entire team. They all waited for her to say what happened. 

“I’m fine now. I think the heat evaporated most of the liquid. It just got me for a minute, the adrenaline pushed me through the fight.” 

Charlotte had already bandaged up her hand but removed the wrappings for Bruce to look at. There was one large cut to her palm and a few smaller ones underneath it. He poked at the skin and Charlotte pulled back in pain causing Steve to growl. He apologized for the growl, knowing that Bruce didn’t mean to cause harm. The skin didn’t look the best, the heat and the liquid didn’t mix well and the palm suffered the damage. Bruce rubbed some extra medication and bandaged it again. There wasn’t much that could be done except to wait for it to heal. Everyone retired to their rooms to pack before having to walk back to the forest and to the quinjet to go home. 

“I’m fine, Steve,” Charlotte said as she turned around. She could feel him staring instead of packing. 

“You scared me when Peter came through the comms but not your voice.”

“It’s nothing I haven’t done on a thousand missions. I know you’re worried because I’m your Omega but it’s not—”

Steve came up and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in close. He rested his forehead against hers before letting his grip loosen as he began to rock the two of them back and forth. 

“It scares me every time. One mission or a thousand, as your Alpha and Captain, it scares me every fucking time you come on the comms and say you’ve been hit. I need you to be okay. I don’t know what I’d do if you were gone.”

His voice didn’t crack but it threatened to. Charlotte thought back to Bucky’s words when she had set up the snipers. Steve was always going to be a man out of time, uncertainty was something he was forever used to but it never got easier. The Avengers made it easier and when Bucky was found, he had a slice of the 40s again. Bonding with Charlotte created the home he was supposed to have and now that it was a reality, he was absolutely terrified to let it go. 

“I’ll always come back to you.”

“Is that a promise?”

“Promise,” she said with a kiss to his lips. 

Charlotte was glad the mission ended right on schedule. The now familiar feeling of her body overheating signalled the start of a heat. Even with the suppressants it wasn’t comfortable and she was glad to be spending it at home with Steve. 

“Are you okay?” Wanda asked.

Charlotte nodded and curled up on one of the benches. Heats still weren’t easy for her. This was only her third and something that Bruce and Wanda had dealt with all their life, she was just learning to cope with. Wanda rubbed Charlotte's back and said something about fixing Charlotte her favorite cold dish during her heats. The woman thanked her friend and stretched her body momentarily to cool down before curling up again in pain. 

The quinjet landed on the helipad. Charlotte was slow to sit up, the sweat now drenching her suit. She couldn’t wait to peel the stupid thing off and take an ice bath before getting Steve to help out. His instincts took over and he was just as excited to take care of Charlotte's heat as she was to get rid of it. With a hand from Sam— the only non-Omega that could touch Charlotte in her current state without earning a growl from Steve— she stood up to exit the jet. They were all of two steps when she stumbled. Sam steadied Charlotte in an instant. She lifted her head to thank her friend when she stopped. Sam watched with wide eyes as his best friend doubled over to spit up blood.

“Get her to medical!” 

Sam’s shout alerted Steve immediately. He scooped Charlotte up before a gurney could be rolled out and ran down to Dr. Cho. The room was prepared almost instantly to begin a purge of her system from whatever delayed attack the purple serum had caused. There wasn’t much else they could think to do. It didn’t seem like she needed surgery. 

“Doll, you’ve got to calm down,” Steve tried to soothe Charlotte. 

Her body was heating up and cooling off in flares but the doctors couldn’t hook her up to an IVs or do anything without potentially burning themselves in the process. Charlotte nodded in agreeance but couldn’t stop herself even if she wanted to. Tony had to come in with the Iron Man suit and hold her down. Steve swiped at the tears on her face. 

“I’m sorry, doll.” 

“It’s all on fire.”

She could feel every needle under her skin. Her body was heating them up, in attempts to reject them from her body. Bruce took a blood sample and then at Charlotte's request, despite the fact that everyone thought it was a bad idea, put her on anesthesia until she was fine. Bruce turned to Steve who watched the tears on Charlotte's face. He agreed to put her under, not able to see his Omega in so much anguish. 

The Avengers watched as Steve’s head bobbed before he jerked back up. He had refused to leave the entire time while Charlotte was under. It wasn’t that he didn’t believe the monitors wouldn’t alert them if something happened. It was that he wanted and needed to be there to watch over his girl. They had taken out all the needles when she seemed to have stabilized. Charlotte had also been taken out of the induced coma but barely opened her eyes. She was responsive enough to open her mouth and swallow down soup but it was too much to open her eyes and definitely too much to move. They had noticed her breathing was also different— that’s when Steve chose to stay full time and monitor. His shoulders started to slump again and he shot up when a hand touched him.

“You need a bath,” Sharon said. “And proper sleep.” 

“But—”

“Your Omega will be fine. I won’t let anything happen to her. Go take care of yourself so you can take care of her.” 

Steve squeezed Charlotte's hand and got up. Sharon replaced him in the seat and watched as Sam and Bucky dragged Steve to the showers— Nat left with them. She propped her feet up on the edge of Charlotte's bed and checked her phone. Wanda would be up in about thirty minutes to bring Charlotte's food. Sharon looked at the woman and tilted her head. Her eyes squeezed tight before softening, the signal that Charlotte was awake.

“It’s me. Your Alpha went to finally take a shower… get better, alright. The whole team needs you and I’m not about to be your fucking replacement. You don’t get to cop out now so fix yourself.” 

Charlotte's eyes squeezed shut twice to let her know she heard Sharon. If Charlotte could chuckle, she would have. This was the longest and closest to a friendly relationship she and Sharon had since being trainees for SHIELD. Everything felt so heavy but she was right. Charlotte was trying hard to will herself up. Bright light flooded her vision as one eye popped open and then another. 

Sharon sat up straight when Charlotte coughed. She couldn’t move her head but her eyes were open now and a whine escaped her lips. Sharon helped Charlotte drink water and then pressed the bell button to alert everyone. The room suddenly flooded with Avengers and her eyes lit up as she smiled. That was still the most she could do. She was very slowly regaining feeling in everything. Bruce came in with a file. 

“Good, we’re all here. Charlotte was hit with a similar serum to the one that changed her dynamic. Only it was meant to kill Omega cells and thereby kill you. I think you were targeted. They must’ve remembered the hit you took with the first serum.”

“She’s not going to die, Bruce,” Steve said with desperation. 

“No, no. I think because you didn’t take the serum properly, your cells weren’t Omega completely. When I said you had both cells existing I thought that was the nature of the serum. But I think it’s meant to kill the Alpha cells right away and replace them with the Omega mutation, not just stop and let them naturally die. You were lucky, that saved you.” 

“So she’ll be alright?” Sam and Nat asked. 

“Yeah, Heat Miser needs to be okay,” Tony chimed in. He smiled as Charlotte managed to roll her eyes at the nickname. 

Bruce held up a flask. 

“I think you’ll be alright and even happy. This serum helped me in breaking down the old one that first got you… I figured out a reversal. When you’re better, you can be an Alpha again Lot.”

The whine that escaped her lips was anything but pretty or sexy; however, it was the best Charlotte could do. She tried to move anything, a finger or a toe. But she was struggling to manage even that. Her fingers on her left hand twitched a bit and tears started to form in the corner of her eyes. Sam, who was sitting on the left side of the bed, could feel the movement as Charlotte bunched at the fabric of the sheets. 

“I think she’s asking if you’re messing with her.”

The garble of sounds confirmed that Sam guessed correctly. Bruce chuckled as he sat down on the one free spot on the bed. Patting Charlotte's leg, he smiled. 

“I’m not joking. It worked, we found a cure for it.” 

Charlotte's hands bunched at the sheets and she was able to form a fist. Both of them pounded at the bed in what she hoped everyone understood as some form of excitement. The team laughed and gave congratulations as Charlotte tried before she settled back into the bed— already exhausted from the amount it took for just that simple task. While she closed her eyes for a minute to try and refuel, the rest of the team looked at the person on her right side who had been holding her hand almost the entire time. 

Steve hadn’t spoken once since Bruce mentioned the serum. His hand found hers once again and looked down to where his thumb was rubbing the back of her hand. The conflict was clear on his face. He lifted Charlotte's hand to his lips and lightly pressed a kiss to the back of her palm. Her eyes hadn’t opened at the action and it was clear she had gone back to sleep. The rest of the Avengers slowly walked out of the room as they watched him try to be happy at the news. 

* * *

**C** harlotte had regained feeling in her body but it was still sore. Steve helped her sit up and change out of the hospital gown into comfortable clothes. She wasn't surprised that the clothes were his. Placing her hands on his chest, Charlotte kissed his neck and marked him again. Steve smiled when she poked him in the chest in demand that he marked her as well. 

“I like when you do that,” she admitted. 

“You do?”

He was genuinely shocked when he removed his mouth from her neck. Bonding was great but most people didn’t like being marked. Charlotte nodded. 

“I actually like when our scents mix, smells good to me. I like everyone knowing you’re my Alpha, I’m your O— I’m yours.” 

The words died on her tongue with a peck to Steve’s lips. Charlotte took the IV stand and started to slowly walk out of the room and go back to her actual room. Steve was behind her with a hand on her waist. Even though she didn’t really need him to stabilize her, Charlotte loved it all the same. While she was smiling under the touch, Steve was tight-lipped behind her. He didn’t miss how Charlotte couldn’t say Omega. It hurt more than he thought it would. 

The two of them stopped in the kitchen area where everyone was waiting for Charlotte, excited that she was out and okay. Steve escorted her all the way to the island to sit on a barstool while he made breakfast. He started pulling out pots before putting most of them away when Charlotte said she could probably only stomach a bowl of oatmeal and toast. With a smile, he said that one nice bowl of oatmeal was coming up and slid a coffee over to her. 

“When you get a little food in you, you’ll be good to take the serum,” Bruce informed Charlotte. “We can do it in the lab or your room, it doesn’t really matter.”

Charlotte watched Steve tense up. His back was to her because he was cooking but she knew him well enough to know Bruce’s words bothered him. 

“It’s fine Bruce. I think right now I just want to eat and relax. Maybe a few days after the IV is gone?” 

“Not a problem. I left it in your room, any time just let me know.” 

Charlotte nodded, not looking at the scientist but at Steve who was filling a bowl for her. With a thank you, she took the bowl and began to eat. Steve kissed the top of her head. Instead of sitting down, he walked away claiming he was going to prep Charlotte's room and move his stuff into the duplex. She frowned into the oatmeal. The work was a distraction and she knew it. She took the next bite of oatmeal with frustration. Her spoon bent under the touch of her palm accidentally heating it up. Steve was supposed to be happy for her. He was her boyfriend and her Alpha. Charlotte held her head in her hands. Did he think that the dynamic would change if she took the serum? That she would stop wanting an Alpha? 

She had to think about it. Would Charlotte still want one? She had told Sam that down the road she and Steve would have probably become companions and live together, maybe even have a family. But even then she had been hesitant to say bond. Bonding wasn’t something she was convinced on until she had become an Omega. Alpha Charlotte didn’t want to be responsible for someone but Omega Charlotte needed that protection. She didn’t want Steve to leave her and wanted him to be her boyfriend. But she wouldn’t need the protection any more and like in the past, she didn’t want to be responsible for someone. She didn’t want to feel like a failure to someone if she messed up on her responsibility duties. 

Steve on the other hand lived for the responsibility and sticking up for everyone. Charlotte wanted everyone to be safe but whereas Steve brushed off failure, Charlotte didn’t. That’s what made her pull away from her Alpha nature when it came to bonding. Steve loved it though. That’s why he was such a good Alpha to Charlotte. It was something to think about. Let him be her protector solely or make it a mutual affair even if that meant she would have to confront her fears about not being able to properly protect someone. What did Steve want and did it matter when it was about her dynamic that got changed against her will in the first place?


	10. Chapter 10

Charlotte smiled as she saw Steve’s shoes at the door once she opened her room. He had put up most of his stuff, taking almost half a week to do so. The two had been spending a lot of time alone despite the fact that he was now in the duplex with her. The decision of becoming an Alpha again weighed heavily on Charlotte's mind and it wasn’t something she ever discussed with Steve. Whether she was pulling away or he was, it was hard to tell. Steve almost tripped over her as he entered the room, muttering apologies.

“Thought you were still downstairs, doll.”

“Finished working out, Sam and I were only doing some yoga. I want to relax with you.”

“You did yoga?”

“It’s the only workout I can kind of do.” Charlotte lifted up the hand that still had the IV connected to it. 

Steve finished putting up the last of his things and joined her on the couch. After making sure the IV tube wouldn’t be smushed, the two put on a movie. About halfway through, Bruce came up to finally take out the IV before leaving Charlotte and Steve to finish her date night. He was watching the movie and Charlotte was watching him. 

“You can’t see anything that way,” Steve said when she shifted around. 

She buried her face in his chest even more, taking in the scent. Everything about him invited her in and made her want to stay there forever. It was right. It all just felt right. Charlotte kissed a line from his chest to his lips. 

“You know I love you right?” 

Steve stopped staring at the TV to look at her. Charlotte's eyes were trained on his shirt as if she couldn’t look him in the face when he responded. He intertwined his fingers with hers. His thumb rubbed over the back of her hand. Her first breath came out shaky before she took in another one. 

“I just need you to know I love you.” 

Steve paused the movie and sat up, dragging her up with him. Charlotte's hands cupped his face and just held him. Steve’s hands on her upper back pushed her closer to him. He kissed her with intense fervor, tongue running along her bottom lip before pushing past Charlotte's mouth. There was a brief moment to catch her breath— only seconds before Steve was making out with her again. Charlotte's hands tangled in his hair and she began to grind her hips back and forth. Without any difficulty— being both a supersoldier and already in an upright position on the couch— Steve stood up and walked Charlotte both up the stairs to her sleeping area. 

Charlotte bounced a little when she hit the mattress. In one clean motion, Steve pulled his shirt over his head. Like the first time the two had made out on the couch, her wrists were pinned above her head. Charlotte's back arched into Steve’s touch. He hissed a little when she bit down on his shoulder. It was rough between the two of them. Just a clash of teeth and skin, both of them working out their frustrations through primal, physical means. Steve’s fingers gripped her hips so tight she wondered if there would be bruising the next morning. 

“Harder,” Charlotte whimpered into his mouth. “Please, Alpha.”

That spurred Steve on to make them both feel as good as possible. Her mouth fell open and Steve moved from kissing her lips to kissing right above the scent gland. He changed their positions, smiling when he heard her moan. 

“Just like that,” Charlotte moaned. 

“Like this? You’re doing so good. So good for me, Omega.”

“What?” Charlotte tensed up, Steve misinterpreting the clenching around him. 

“My. Perfect. Omega.” 

Each word was accentuated with a thrust before Steve collapsed on top of her. He pressed a kiss to her temple and rolled off of her. The moment he was off Charlotte sprung up out of the bed. 

“You okay?” 

“Yeah, just need to pee.” 

“Right, no UTIs,” Steve said with a sigh and flopped back down. 

Her phone was in the bathroom from where Steve had placed it on the charger while Charlotte had been in the hospital. Grabbing it, she texted Wanda and Nat. They responded in less than a minute. She heard the shuffling of Steve getting out the bed. He said he had to go because Sam and Bucky texted him about needing something. Charlotte brushed off his apology as she pulled some clothes from the laundry basket and told him to go see what they wanted. It was maybe two minutes after Steve had left that more footsteps came up the stairs. 

“Lot? It’s just us, got Sam and Buck to distract Steve.” 

It was Wanda. She and Nat tried not to hold their noses at the very obvious stench of what Charlotte and Steve had just been doing. Charlotte walked out the bathroom and into the arms of her friends. The three of them sat against the foot of her bed and she broke down while talking to them. 

“I just freaked out. He always makes me safe but— I don’t know.” 

“What was it exactly? Just the word?” Wanda asked.

“Yeah. I love Steve and him being my Alpha. I love being his but I don’t know. I don’t think I can be what he wants.” 

“He wants you,” Nat said. “You can feel it radiating from him every time you step into the room.” 

Charlotte shook her head. 

“He wan— he needs an Omega, someone he can take care of. That’s Steve’s MO, taking care of the weak and being needed. Now that there’s a chance to fix me…”

“Fix you?” Wanda asked. 

Charlotte cringed, knowing she had said the wrong thing. 

“I didn’t mean it like that.”

“Didn’t mean it like what? Being an Omega is something you need fixed? Because we’re all weak and pathetic. Right?”

“Wanda, I don—”

“Maybe you should learn to be happy and not look down on us. Steve’s a good Alpha and so many Omegas would die to have someone like him instead of a shitty Alpha.” 

She stormed out of the room, shaking off Charlotte's hand that tried to grab her. Nat patted her knee and got up to try and reason with Wanda. She knocked against the floor in anger. It was too early to sleep but that was all Charlotte wanted to do. Try and start the day again, shut off all thoughts. Instead, she had to stay up. So she sat against the bed and let the tears stream down her face.

Charlotte could smell Steve before she could see or hear him. The sound of his footsteps coming upstairs wasn’t enough to make the woman move or even try to wipe away the tears. Steve crouched down in front of her but Charlotte pulled away from his touch. Getting up on her own, she hid under the covers of the bed. Steve frowned watching the action. What could have happened in the few moments the two of them were apart that could have led to this? 

Charlotte's whole body was under the covers— not even a bit of her head poking out. Steve cuddled around the blanketed lump that was her body and even though it wasn’t as good as holding her bare skin, it was good enough. Especially when Charlotte scooted back to be more in his hold. He looked over her blanketed form to see the box with the vial and syringe resting on the nightstand. It was still untouched. 

The duplex allowed Charlotte and Steve to stay in their room for the rest of the day but still be entertained. Once Charlotte had calmed down, finally coming out of the covers, she pulled out a bunch of different board games. They were tied for who was winning. Even though there were still tear stains on Charlotte's cheeks, Steve was happy to see a smile on her face. He tried pressing in the middle of their game of Twister but she wouldn’t tell him the problem, saying it wasn’t a big deal. 

Charlotte showered first, needing to get started on her hair care routine. Steve took the opportunity while she was deep conditioning to jump into the shower himself. Charlotte looked around the room. Warmth settled in her chest at seeing Steve’s stuff everywhere. She no longer had to go into his closet and steal his stuff for her little nesting pile— it was only steps away. His scent was mildly overpowering, having just moved in, but in no time it would settle down to blend with hers. 

Steve could hear Charlotte humming something as she shuffled around. The crinkle of her plastic shower cap gave away her location in the room easily. He had half a mind to get out the shower just to see what she was doing in there. It always made him happy when he accidentally walked in on Charlotte just being in her element. He stopped reaching for the shower knob when he heard extra footsteps come in and then the sound of Wanda’s voice saying she needed to talk to Charlotte— he didn’t bring clothes into the bathroom and was positive Wanda didn’t want to see him in just a towel. 

“Nat talked some sense into me,” Wanda started. 

“Wanda I didn’t mean to insult you, Bruce, or anyone that’s an Omega.”

“I know. I’ve lived like this my whole life, I wasn’t thinking about how it’s not easy for you. If someone made me an Alpha or even a Beta, I honestly don’t know how I would take it. I get it.” 

“Being an Omega isn’t something that needs to be fixed, I swear I never meant it that way. But I feel like they broke me, like being an Alpha was a problem and that needed to be fixed.” 

Wanda gave Charlotte a hug and the two women collapsed on the bed in a fit of laughter. 

“When are you going to take it, do you think it’ll put you off of mission for a few weeks? Bruce said it might not be a quick and simple switch. You were out for like a week with the first serum and that wasn’t even taken properly.” 

“I’m not taking it.” 

Wanda sat up. 

“You’re not? You were crying hours ago. You were in literal tears about Steve c—”

“Calling me his Omega during sex, I know, I know. But it’s not fair to Steve. He bonded with me as an Omega, he wants to be a protector.” 

“And you’re okay not changing back?” 

“No but I will be. I want Steve more than I want to be an Alpha. He’s my man,” Charlotte said with a chuckle. 

“You really love him.” 

“Took too long to realize it but a hundred percent.”

“That’s sweet. Are you two coming down to movie night?”

“Yeah, I’m feeling better. Save me the big beanbag with you.” 

“Are you saying you want to nest with me?” Wanda fake gasped. 

Charlotte rolled her eyes in jest and slightly pushed her— the other woman tipping over while laughing. Wanda got up to go secure the giant big beanbag in the movie room for the two of them. Charlotte opened the bathroom door to be greeted by lots of steam from Steve’s shower. Without much thought, she stripped of her pajamas and got in so she could wash out the deep conditioner. 

“I’m sitting with Wanda for movie night,” she said as she turned to face him now that her hair was completely rinsed. 

“Alright, Doll. I’m right behind you, go ahead and head on down.” 

“You’re still showering? You’re more of a diva than me.” 

“Really, Charlie?” 

“Diva Steve,” Charlotte said with a mischievous smile.

“I’m the diva?”

“Yes, Alpha.” 

Steve jaw clenched as she pressed a kiss to it. Charlotte jumped out of the shower, drying off quickly and diffusing her hair before tying it up and heading to the movie room. When he was confident that Charlotte was gone, Steve finally got out. The syringe practically screamed at him from its spot on the nightstand. Steve grabbed it and the vial. It was in the same vial as the maskers from when Charlotte had been disguising that she was still an Alpha. The vials that broke easily just from being dropped once. He stared at it, his strength alone could probably crush the vial. 

* * *

Tony picked some stupid movie. Whenever it was Tony’s pick, it was almost always a shitty one. But that wasn’t the point of movie night. It was always just to hang out with friends and be a team in a very relaxed setting. Charlotte and Wanda were splitting the giant beanbag and the big blanket. Charlotte wasn't the most excited that the blanket smelled like Vision but he was Wanda's Alpha and Charlotte didn’t remember to get her own blanket. 

“There you are Capsicle,” Tony said as Steve walked in. “Thought you were gonna miss the movie for a minute.” 

“Was just getting dressed.” 

Charlotte grinned when Steve dropped a blanket on her lap. With no apologies or hesitation, she threw most of Wanda’s blanket off of her and readjusted her own. Steve still stood in front of her. He didn’t even move when Charlotte swiped at his legs. 

“Steve,” she whined. “I can’t see shit, move.” 

He stood there for another moment and when she looked up at his face it read of discomfort— or something else, she couldn’t quite place it. Charlotte stopped slouching on the beanbag and sat up straight.

“Alpha?” 

Steve shook his head as he crouched down. Steve looked like he was going to cry. Charlotte placed his head in her hands, rubbing her fingers through his hair. It made her nervous. Something about his face filled Charlotte with a sense of weariness. 

“Alpha?” she asked once more.

“No. I haven’t been a good one.”

“What are you talking about Steve? You’re the best, everyone thinks so. I think so.” 

“A good Alpha wants their bond no matter what.”

“Steve?” 

His words made her scared. Sam sat up ready to comfort Charlotte in case bullshit was about to spew from Steve’s mouth. Nat was ready to kick his ass, supersoldier or not— and even though Steve was his brother, Bucky was ready to send him back to the 40s as well. Tony paused the movie that hadn’t really started yet. The team wasn’t sure if they should be privy to what seemed like the start of a very private conversation. Charlotte's hands dropped from his face. 

“I’m not being a good Alpha for you. You asked me if I knew you loved me—”

“Steve, please…” 

He moved to grab her hands with one of his. “Hey, doll, don’t cry. Thought you were my strong Alpha.” 

“You’re trying to b— wait what?” 

Steve reached into his pocket and pulled out the vial and syringe. Flicking the cap off of the syringe, he stabbed it into the vial. Grabbing Charlotte's hand, Steve flipped her hand over so the underside of her wrist was facing upwards and pulled her hand towards him to start pressing the needle in. 

“I didn’t finish, I’m not being a good Alpha because I wasn’t thinking. You asked me if I knew you loved me and the answer is of course I do. I love you too and not because you’re my Omega but just because you’re mine. And I’m yours. Always will be. I should’ve bonded with you way back when, shouldn’t have left for DC without you.” 

He set the now empty syringe on the table. Steve nudged at Charlotte's neck and bit down. It didn’t hurt as much the second time around. Satisfied bonding with her again, Steve pressed a kiss to her lips. 

“My Alpha.” 

Steve pressed a second kiss to her lips and then moved to sit on the beanbag with Charlotte in his lap.


End file.
